Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि लिंगं शाकलकलेश्वरम् । शाकल्येश्वरनैरृत्ये धनुषां षष्टिभिः स्थितम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi liṃgaṃ śākalakaleśvaram | śākalyeśvaranairṛtye dhanuṣāṃ ṣaṣṭibhiḥ sthitam

Translation

ഈശ്വരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—അതിനുശേഷം, ഹേ മഹാദേവി, ‘ശാകലകലേശ്വര’ എന്ന ലിംഗത്തിലേക്ക് പോകണം. അത് ശാകല്യേശ്വരത്തിന്റെ നൈഋത്യത്തിൽ (തെക്ക്-പടിഞ്ഞാറ്) അറുപത് ധനുസ്സിന്റെ ദൂരത്തിൽ സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്നു.

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara (Lord Śiva)
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

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

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-Visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-प्रातिपदिकात्)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादान/क्रमवाचक — ‘then/from there’

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Injunction/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; विध्यर्थ — ‘should go’

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः (महा + देवी)

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

• शाकलकलेश्वरम्: (the liṅga) Śākala-kaleśvara
• शाकलकलेश्वरम्: Karma (Object-Apposition/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाकल (प्रातिपदिक) + कल (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (शाकल-कल-ईश्वरः) — नामरूपेण लिङ्गस्य विशेषण/अप्पोजिशन

• शाकल्येश्वरनैरृत्ये: in the south-west (quarter) of Śākalyeśvara
• शाकल्येश्वरनैरृत्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाकल्य (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक) + नैरृत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (दिशावाचक), सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘शाकल्येश्वरस्य नैरृत्ये’ = ‘in the south-west of Śākalyeśvara’

• धनुषाम्: of bows (as a measure)
• धनुषाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Measure/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; परिमाण-सम्बन्ध (measure)

• षष्टिभिः: by sixty
• षष्टिभिः: Karana/Measure (करण/परिमाण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक; करण/परिमाण — ‘by sixty’

• स्थितम्: situated/located
• स्थितम्: Karta/Qualifier (कर्ता/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्थित (कृदन्त; √स्था (धातु))
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; विशेषण (लिङ्गम्)

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śākalakaleśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva (Īśvara) instructs Devī on a coastal pilgrimage route; a stylized map-like composition shows Śākalyeśvara and, to its southwest, Śākalakaleśvara marked by a measured span of ‘60 dhanuṣ’.

Characters & Entities

• Śākalakaleśvara
• Śākalyeśvara
• Nairṛtya (southwest)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is presented as a guided sacred itinerary—moving from shrine to shrine with awareness of direction and proximity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śākalakaleśvara Liṅga in Prabhāsa-kṣetra, located southwest of Śākalyeśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The instruction is primarily locational: go (gacchet) to the specified Liṅga as part of the kṣetra-darśana sequence.