Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि देवं वैश्वानरेश्वरम् । तस्यैवाग्नेयकोणस्थं धनुषां पंचके स्थितम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi devaṃ vaiśvānareśvaram | tasyaivāgneyakoṇasthaṃ dhanuṣāṃ paṃcake sthitam

Translation

ഈശ്വരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—ഹേ മഹാദേവീ! തുടർന്ന് വൈശ്വാനരേശ്വര ദേവനിലേക്കു പോകണം. അത് അതേ സ്ഥലത്തിന്റെ അഗ്നേയ കോണിൽ, അഞ്ചു ധനുസ്സിന്റെ ദൂരത്തിൽ സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്നു।

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara (the Lord)
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; वक्ता/कर्ता

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

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रयोग (adverb of sequence: 'then/from there')

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• mahādevi: O great goddess
• mahādevi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-devī (प्रातिपदिक; महा + देवी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; संबोधन

• devam: to the god
• devam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म

• vaiśvānareśvaram: Vaiśvānareśvara
• vaiśvānareśvaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaiśvānara-īśvara (प्रातिपदिक; वैश्वानर + ईश्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म (देवम् इति विशेष्य)

• tasya: of that (deity)
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक; षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphasis/only)

• āgneyakoṇastham: situated in the south-east corner
• āgneyakoṇastham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: āgneya-koṇa-stha (प्रातिपदिक; आग्नेय + कोण + स्थ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (स्थानवाचक)

• dhanuṣām: of bows
• dhanuṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhanus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध

• paṃcake: in a set of five
• paṃcake: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paṃcaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण (within a group of five)

• sthitam: placed/situated
• sthitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया/प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vaiśvānareśvara

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva instructs Devī again, indicating the south-east; a small shrine with a subtle flame motif (Agni symbolism) marks Vaiśvānareśvara; pilgrims traverse a measured path, counting ‘five bow-lengths’.

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśvānareśvara
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
• Āgneya-koṇa (SE direction)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is also sacred cartography: the Purāṇa guides devotees through ordered movement among holy sites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vaiśvānareśvara in Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A directional pilgrimage instruction is given (go to Vaiśvānareśvara in the south-eastern quarter); no separate rite is stated here.