Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । तस्यैव देवदेवस्य समीपस्थं विराजते । लिंगद्वयं महापुण्यं लकुलीशप्रतिष्ठितम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tasyaiva devadevasya samīpasthaṃ virājate | liṃgadvayaṃ mahāpuṇyaṃ lakulīśapratiṣṭhitam

Translation

ഈശ്വരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—ആ ദേവദേവന്റെ സമീപത്ത് മഹാപുണ്യമയമായ രണ്ട് ലിംഗങ്ങൾ ദീപ്തമായി വിരാജിക്കുന്നു; അവ ലകുലീശൻ പ്രതിഷ്ഠിച്ചതാണ്।

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tasya: of that
• tasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• devadevasya: of the God of gods
• devadevasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (devānāṃ devaḥ)

• samīpastham: situated nearby
• samīpastham: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samīpa (प्रातिपदिक) + stha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (samīpe stham = situated near)

• virājate: shines / is resplendent
• virājate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: rāj (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• liṅga-dvayam: a pair of liṅgas
• liṅga-dvayam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + dvaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (dvayaṃ liṅgam = pair of liṅgas)

• mahā-puṇyam: greatly meritorious
• mahā-puṇyam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; कर्मधारय

• lakulīśa-pratiṣṭhitam: established by Lakulīśa
• lakulīśa-pratiṣṭhitam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: lakulīśa (प्रातिपदिक) + pratiṣṭhita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √sthā)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) 'pratiṣṭhita' + षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (lakulīśena pratiṣṭhitam = established by Lakulīśa)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Lakulīśvara (within Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī (implied by 'priye' in subsequent verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred precinct near the chief Deva-deva shrine: two radiant liṅgas stand side-by-side, their bases garlanded, with Lakulīśa’s ascetic presence implied through staff/club symbolism and attendant sages.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Devadeva
• Lakulīśa
• Liṅga-dvaya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places are sanctified through divine presence and saintly establishment; Lakulīśa’s installation marks exceptional holiness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, near the principal Devadeva, with special emphasis on liṅgas installed by Lakulīśa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed in this verse; it introduces the sanctity and provenance of the liṅgas.