Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि मंगलात्पश्चिमे स्थितम् । गंगास्रोतस्तथा लिंगं सुरार्कं च विशेषतः

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi maṃgalātpaścime sthitam | gaṃgāsrotastathā liṃgaṃ surārkaṃ ca viśeṣataḥ

Translation

ഈശ്വരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—ഹേ മഹാദേവീ, തുടർന്ന് മംഗലത്തിന്റെ പടിഞ്ഞാറായി സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്ന സ്ഥലത്തേക്ക് പോകുക—വിശേഷിച്ച് ഗംഗാസ്രോതസ്സിനെയും ‘സുരാർക’ എന്ന ലിംഗത്തെയും ദർശിക്കുവാൻ.

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara (Lord Śiva)
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• tataḥ: then; thereafter
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), क्रमवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (sequential adverb)

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriyā (Injunctive/Instruction)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपद

• mahādevi: O great goddess
• mahādevi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (great goddess), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• maṃgalāt: from Maṅgala (place)
• maṃgalāt: Apādāna (Source/अपाादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṃgala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

• paścime: in the west; western
• paścime: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paścima (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

• sthitam: situated; located
• sthitam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthā (धातु) + kta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मविशेषण (qualifying the object)

• gaṃgā-srotaḥ: the Gaṅgā stream
• gaṃgā-srotaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṃgā (प्रातिपदिक) + srotas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (Gaṅgā’s stream), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• tathā: also; likewise
• tathā: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), समुच्चय/अनुक्रमसूचक (also/likewise)

• liṅgam: liṅga (Śiva emblem)
• liṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• surārkam: Surārka (a sacred arka/solar shrine)
• surārkam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक) + arka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (of the gods: arka), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• viśeṣataḥ: especially
• viśeṣataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: viśeṣatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (manner adverb)

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā-srotas and Surārka-liṅga (west of Maṅgala)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims at a narrow sacred stream labeled ‘Gaṅgā-srotas’, performing snāna; nearby stands Surārka-liṅga shrine catching sunlight, suggesting a solar (arka) radiance.

Characters & Entities

• Maṅgala (place)
• Gaṅgā-srotas
• Surārka-liṅga
• Devī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa guides devotees through a sequence of sanctified landmarks—water and liṅga—uniting purification and worship in pilgrimage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gaṅgā-srotas (holy stream) and the Surārka-liṅga located west of Maṅgala.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The instruction is to proceed to these sites as part of the yātrā; the detailed rites appear in the next verse.