Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

गंधर्वलोकमाप्नोति दृष्ट्वा स प्रयतः शुचिः । इति ते कथितं देवि गांधर्वं लिंगमुत्तमम्

Transliteration

gaṃdharvalokamāpnoti dṛṣṭvā sa prayataḥ śuciḥ | iti te kathitaṃ devi gāṃdharvaṃ liṃgamuttamam

Translation

അതിനെ ദർശിച്ചാൽ സംയമിയും ശുചിയുമായ ഭക്തൻ ഗന്ധർവലോകം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു. ഹേ ദേവി! ഈ ഉത്തമ ഗന്ധർവ-ലിംഗം നിനക്കു വിവരിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• गन्धर्वलोकम्: the world of Gandharvas
• गन्धर्वलोकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धर्वलोक (प्रातिपदिक; गन्धर्व + लोक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (गन्धर्वाणां लोकः)

• आप्नोति: attains
• आप्नोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), परस्मैपदम्; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Sambandha (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive); ‘having seen’

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन

• प्रयतः: disciplined, restrained
• प्रयतः: Karta (Qualifier of subject/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रयत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (disciplined/controlled)

• शुचिः: pure
• शुचिः: Karta (Qualifier of subject/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुचि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (pure)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-निपात (quotative: thus)

• ते: to you / for you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/genitive) एकवचन; ‘of/for you’ (enclitic form)

• कथितम्: has been told
• कथितम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘told/said’

• देवि: O देवी
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• गान्धर्वम्: gandharva-related
• गान्धर्वम्: Karma (Qualifier of object/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गान्धर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (pertaining to Gandharvas)

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

• उत्तमम्: excellent, supreme
• उत्तमम्: Karma (Qualifier of object/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (supreme/excellent)

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gāndharva-liṅga / Ghanavāheśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A restrained, pure pilgrim stands before the Gāndharva-liṅga; above, celestial Gandharvas appear with instruments, indicating the promised Gandharva-loka; Skanda’s narration to Devī frames the scene as a concluded teaching.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Gandharvaloka
• Gāndharva-liṅga
• Prabhāsakṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity and restraint make even darśana (sacred seeing) spiritually transformative, yielding exalted realms.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘Gāndharva’ liṅga shrine within Prabhāsakṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Maintaining śauca (purity) and prayatna (restraint) while taking darśana and worship at the liṅga.