Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

अथ तत्रैव देवेशि दंडपाणेः समीपतः । घनवाहेश्वरं नाम यो लिंगं यत्नतोऽर्चयेत्

Transliteration

atha tatraiva deveśi daṃḍapāṇeḥ samīpataḥ | ghanavāheśvaraṃ nāma yo liṃgaṃ yatnato'rcayet

Translation

ഹേ ദേവേശി! അവിടെയേ ദണ്ഡപാണിയുടെ സമീപത്ത് ‘ഘനവാഹേശ്വര’ എന്ന നാമമുള്ള ലിംഗത്തെ ആരെങ്കിലും ശ്രദ്ധാപൂർവ്വം അർച്ചിച്ചാൽ…

Word by Word

• अथ: then, now
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रमसूचक/आरम्भसूचक (particle: then/now)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb: there)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चय/अवधारण (particle: indeed/just)

• देवेशि: O goddess (lady of gods)
• देवेशि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवेशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; संबोधनपदम् (vocative)

• दण्डपाणेः: of Daṇḍapāṇi (the one holding a staff)
• दण्डपाणेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्डपाणि (प्रातिपदिक; दण्ड + पाणि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (दण्डः यस्य पाणौ/दण्डं पाणौ धारयति)

• समीपतः: near, in the vicinity
• समीपतः: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: समीप (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तद्धित/अव्ययीभावप्राय)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb: near/at the vicinity)

• घनवाहेश्वरम्: Ghanavāheśvara (name of the Lord)
• घनवाहेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: घनवाहेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; घनवाह + ईश्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (घनवाहस्य ईश्वरः)

• नाम: named, called
• नाम: Sambandha (Apposition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय/निपात)
• Form: अव्यय; नाम-निपात (quotative/‘called’)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक सापेक्षः (relative pronoun)

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga (Śiva emblem)
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन

• यत्नतः: carefully, with effort
• यत्नतः: Sambandha (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्न (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तद्धित)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: with effort/carefully)

• अर्चयेत्: should worship
• अर्चयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपदम्; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ghanavāheśvara-liṅga (near Daṇḍapāṇi)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim approaches a small liṅga-shrine labeled ‘Ghanavāheśvara’ near a vigilant Daṇḍapāṇi figure; the devotee offers bilva and water with meticulous care, lamps flickering in the coastal air.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Daṇḍapāṇi
• Ghanavāheśvara
• Śiva-liṅga
• Prabhāsakṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Careful, intentional worship of a specific kṣetra-liṅga is emphasized as a potent spiritual practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A localized shrine-area in Prabhāsakṣetra: the Ghanavāheśvara liṅga near Daṇḍapāṇi.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Yatnataḥ-arcana—earnest worship of the Ghanavāheśvara liṅga.