Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

सूर्येश्वरं समारभ्य केतुलिंगांतकानि वै । नवग्रहाणां लिंगानि नान्यो जानाति कश्चन

Transliteration

sūryeśvaraṃ samārabhya ketuliṃgāṃtakāni vai | navagrahāṇāṃ liṃgāni nānyo jānāti kaścana

Translation

സൂര്യേശ്വരത്തിൽ ആരംഭിച്ച് കേതുലിംഗം വരെ—ഇവ നവഗ്രഹങ്ങളുടെ ലിംഗങ്ങളാണ്; അവയുടെ തത്ത്വം യഥാർത്ഥത്തിൽ മറ്റാരും അറിയുന്നില്ല.

Word by Word

• सूर्येश्वरम्: Sūryeśvara
• सूर्येश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• समारभ्य: starting from
• समारभ्य: Apadana/Avadhi (Starting point/अवधि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् + आ + रभ् (धातु) + ल्यप्
• Form: ल्यबन्त अव्यय (gerund); ‘starting from’

• केतुलिङ्गान्तकानि: the (shrines) ending with Ketu-liṅga
• केतुलिङ्गान्तकानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केतु (प्रातिपदिक) + लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक (indeed)

• नवग्रहाणाम्: of the nine planets
• नवग्रहाणाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नव (संख्या) + ग्रह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• लिङ्गानि: liṅgas
• लिङ्गानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation)

• अन्यः: another (person)
• अन्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘कश्चन’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• जानाति: knows
• जानाति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (knows)

• कश्चन: anyone
• कश्चन: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चन (निपात)
• Form: अनिश्चितवाचक सर्वनाम; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (anyone)

Speaker

Unknown (narrative voice within Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in Purāṇic framing)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Navagraha-liṅgāni (Sūryeśvarādi…Ketuliṅga) in Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A procession of nine liṅga-shrines representing the Navagrahas, beginning with a radiant Sūryeśvara and culminating at Ketuliṅga; each shrine subtly bears its graha emblem (sun-disc, crescent, spear, etc.).

Characters & Entities

• Sūryeśvara
• Ketuliṅga
• Navagraha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Prabhāsa is presented as a revealed sacred landscape where cosmic forces (the grahas) are worshipped through Śiva-liṅgas, accessible through devotion rather than mere curiosity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra (the Prabhāsa sacred region), renowned in the Skanda Purāṇa for its many liṅgas and tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated here; the verse emphasizes recognition of the Navagraha-liṅgas’ sacred identity.