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Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 63

क्षेत्रपीठमिति प्रोक्तमतो गर्भगृहं शृणु । समुद्रात्कौरवी यावद्दक्षिणोत्तरमानतः । पूर्वपश्चिमतो ज्ञेयं गोमुखादाऽश्वमेधकम्

kṣetrapīṭhamiti proktamato garbhagṛhaṃ śṛṇu | samudrātkauravī yāvaddakṣiṇottaramānataḥ | pūrvapaścimato jñeyaṃ gomukhādā'śvamedhakam

ഇത് ‘ക്ഷേത്ര-പീഠം’ എന്നു പ്രഖ്യാപിക്കപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുന്നു; ഇനി ഗർഭഗൃഹത്തെ കേൾക്കുക. സമുദ്രത്തിൽ നിന്ന് കൗരവീ വരെ ഇതിന്റെ വടക്ക്–തെക്ക് അളവ്; കിഴക്ക്–പടിഞ്ഞാറ് വ്യാപ്തി ഗോമുഖത്തിൽ നിന്ന് അശ്വമേധകം വരെ എന്നു അറിയണം.

क्षेत्रपीठम्the sacred seat of the kṣetra
क्षेत्रपीठम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootक्षेत्रपीठ (प्रातिपदिक; क्षेत्र + पीठ)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: क्षेत्रस्य पीठम्)
इतिthus
इति:
Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइति (अव्यय)
Formउद्धरण/समाप्तिसूचक-अव्यय (quotative particle)
प्रोक्तम्declared/said
प्रोक्तम्:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootप्र + वच् (धातु) → प्रोक्त (कृदन्त)
Formभूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘said/declared’
अतःtherefore
अतः:
Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअतः (अव्यय)
Formहेतु/तस्मात्-अर्थक-अव्यय (therefore/from this)
गर्भगृहम्the sanctum (inner shrine)
गर्भगृहम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootगर्भगृह (प्रातिपदिक; गर्भ + गृह)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: गर्भस्य गृहः)
शृणुhear
शृणु:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootश्रु (धातु)
Formलोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद
समुद्रात्from the sea
समुद्रात्:
Apadana (Source/अपादान)
TypeNoun
Rootसमुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन; अपादान
कौरवी(the boundary called) Kauravī
कौरवी:
Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootकौरवी (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; (सीमा/रेखा-नामरूपेण)
यावत्up to/as far as
यावत्:
Desha (Extent/देश-परिमाण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootयावत् (अव्यय/संबन्ध-शब्द)
Formपरिमाण/अवधि-सूचक-अव्यय (as far as/up to)
दक्षिणोत्तरमानतःin south–north extent/measure
दक्षिणोत्तरमानतः:
Desha (Extent/देश-परिमाण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootदक्षिण + उत्तर + मान (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तसिल्)
Formतसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्यय (ablatival adverb) ‘from the south-north measure/extent’; समास: दिशोः मानम् (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः)
पूर्वपश्चिमतःfrom the east and west (side)
पूर्वपश्चिमतः:
Desha (Extent/देश-परिमाण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootपूर्व + पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तसिल्)
Formद्वन्द्व-समास (पूर्व-पश्चिम), तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्यय; ‘from the east and west (side)’
ज्ञेयम्is to be known
ज्ञेयम्:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootज्ञा (धातु) → ज्ञेय (कृदन्त)
Formविधिलिङ्गार्थक-तव्यत्/यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘to be known’
गोमुखात्from Gomukha
गोमुखात्:
Apadana (Source/अपादान)
TypeNoun
Rootगोमुख (प्रातिपदिक; गो + मुख)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (प्रयोगे भेदः), पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (कर्मधारय-प्रायः: गोमुखम्)
up to
:
Desha (Extent/देश-परिमाण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootआ (अव्यय)
Formअवधि-सूचक-अव्यय (up to/till)
अश्वमेधकम्(the place called) Aśvamedhaka
अश्वमेधकम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootअश्वमेधक (प्रातिपदिक; अश्वमेध + क)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (अश्वमेधस्य (स्थानम्/तीर्थम्) इति)

Śiva

Tirtha: Prabhāsa kṣetra-pīṭha / garbhagṛha zone

Type: kshetra

Listener: Devī/Pārvatī

Scene: A sacred landscape drawn like a temple plan: an outer pīṭha labeled ‘kṣetra-pīṭha’, and within it a smaller rectangle/circle labeled ‘garbhagṛha’, with four directional markers—ocean, Kauravī, Gomukha, Aśvamedhaka—forming axes.

Ś
Śiva
P
Pārvatī
S
Samudra (Ocean)
K
Kauravī
G
Gomukha
A
Aśvamedhaka
P
Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

The ‘garbhagṛha’ is presented as the concentrated heart of the kṣetra, implying that sacred space has an inner center where grace is most intensely accessible.

The inner core of Prabhāsa-kṣetra, defined by landmarks: ocean–Kauravī (north–south) and Gomukha–Aśvamedhaka (east–west).

No explicit ritual is prescribed; the verse provides pilgrimage cartography for identifying the kṣetra’s core.