Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि केतुलिंगं महाप्रभम् । राह्वीशानादुत्तरे च मंगलायाश्च दक्षिणे

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi ketuliṃgaṃ mahāprabham | rāhvīśānāduttare ca maṃgalāyāśca dakṣiṇe

Translation

ഈശ്വരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—ഹേ മഹാദേവി! തുടർന്ന് രാഹ്വീശ്വരത്തിന്റെ വടക്കിലും മംഗളാ (മംഗളേശ)യുടെ തെക്കിലും സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്ന മഹാപ്രഭ കേതുലിംഗത്തിലേക്കു പോകണം.

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara (Lord)
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (3rd sg.)

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Apadana (Source/Sequence/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—ततः (from there/thereafter), क्रम/अपादानार्थक

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (3rd sg.); आदेश/विधान (should go)

• mahādevi: O great goddess
• mahādevi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः

• ketu-liṅgam: the Ketu-liṅga
• ketu-liṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ketu (प्रातिपदिक) + liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (केतोर् लिङ्गम्)

• mahā-prabham: greatly radiant
• mahā-prabham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + prabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—विशेषणम् (agreeing with liṅgam)

• rāhvīśānāt: from (the place of) Rāhvīśāna
• rāhvīśānāt: Apadana (Reference point/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāhvīśāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• uttare: to the north
• uttare: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; दिक्/स्थानवाचक (locative: to the north)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• maṃgalāyāḥ: of Maṅgalā
• maṃgalāyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṃgalā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• dakṣiṇe: to the south
• dakṣiṇe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dakṣiṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; दिक्/स्थानवाचक (locative: to the south)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ketuliṅga

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Devī/Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva instructs Devī like a sacred cartographer, pointing out Ketuliṅga’s position between two known shrines; the liṅga is depicted as intensely radiant.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Mahādevī
• Ketuliṅga
• Rāhvīśvara
• Maṅgalā (Maṅgaleśa/Maṅgala shrine)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is mapped as a dharmic journey: moving from one sanctified Liṅga to another within Prabhāsa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ketuliṅga in Prabhāsakṣetra, with reference points Rāhvīśvara and Maṅgalā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Gamana/visit (going to the shrine) as part of tirtha-yātrā.