Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गछेन्महालिंगं कामेश्वरमिति श्रुतम् । कामेनाराधितं पूर्वं दैत्यसूदनपश्चिमे

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gachenmahāliṃgaṃ kāmeśvaramiti śrutam | kāmenārādhitaṃ pūrvaṃ daityasūdanapaścime

Translation

ഈശ്വരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—അതിനുശേഷം ‘കാമേശ്വരൻ’ എന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധമായ മഹാലിംഗത്തിലേക്ക് പോകണം. അത് ദൈത്യസൂദനന്റെ പടിഞ്ഞാറായി സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്നു; പൂർവ്വം കാമൻ അതിനെ ആരാധിച്ചിരുന്നു।

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-viseshana (क्रम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रमवाचक (then)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• महत्-लिङ्गम्: the great liṅga
• महत्-लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक) + लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय

• काम-ईश्वरम्: (called) Kāmeśvara
• काम-ईश्वरम्: Apposition/Object-name
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (कामस्य ईश्वरः)

• इति: thus
• इति: Quotation marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, उद्धरणचिह्न

• श्रुतम्: is known as
• श्रुतम्: Predicate adjective
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अर्थः—श्रुतम्/प्रसिद्धम् (is heard/known)

• कामेन: by Kāma
• कामेन: Kartr/Agent (by whom)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• आराधितम्: worshipped
• आराधितम्: Predicate adjective (of liṅga)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-राध् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (worshipped)

• पूर्वम्: formerly
• पूर्वम्: Kriya-viseshana (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्वम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक (formerly)

• दैत्यसूदन-पश्चिमे: to the west of Daityasūdana
• दैत्यसूदन-पश्चिमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्यसूदन (प्रातिपदिक) + पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (दैत्यसूदनस्य पश्चिमे)

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāmeśvara Mahāliṅga

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva instructs Devī about the next stop: a great liṅga named Kāmeśvara, positioned west of a Viṣṇu shrine (Daityasūdana). A pilgrim path connects the two, with signifying westward movement and coastal light.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Kāmeśvara
• Kāma
• Daityasūdana
• Prabhāsakṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places are mapped through devotion: sincere worship, even by Kāma, establishes a tīrtha’s enduring sanctity and accessibility to pilgrims.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāmeśvara, a great Śiva-liṅga in Prabhāsakṣetra, located west of Daityasūdana.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A pilgrimage directive: “one should go” to the Kāmeśvara Liṅga (darśana/visit implied).