Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 116

Devanagari script

ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां सर्वदेवतनुर्हरः । गण उवाच । पूज्यते सर्वयज्ञेषु कथं दक्षो न पूजयेत्

Transliteration

īśvaraḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ sarvadevatanurharaḥ | gaṇa uvāca | pūjyate sarvayajñeṣu kathaṃ dakṣo na pūjayet

Translation

ഈശ്വരൻ സർവ്വഭൂതങ്ങളുടെ അധിപൻ; ഹരൻ തന്നെയാണ് സർവ്വദേവതാസ്വരൂപം. ഗണൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അവൻ എല്ലാ യജ്ഞങ്ങളിലും പൂജിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു; പിന്നെ ദക്ഷൻ എങ്ങനെ അവനെ പൂജിക്കാതിരിക്കും?

Word by Word

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

• sarva-bhūtānām: of all beings
• sarva-bhūtānām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūta (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• sarva-deva-tanuḥ: whose body is all the gods
• sarva-deva-tanuḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Appositional qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक) + tanu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘सर्वदेवानां तनुः’

• haraḥ: Hara (Śiva)
• haraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• gaṇaḥ: a gaṇa (attendant)
• gaṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• pūjyate: is worshipped
• pūjyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pūj (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), कर्मणि प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• sarva-yajñeṣu: in all sacrifices
• sarva-yajñeṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + yajña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• katham: how
• katham: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• dakṣaḥ: Dakṣa
• dakṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation particle)

• pūjayet: should worship
• pūjayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pūj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Gaṇa (Śiva’s attendant)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/Śaunaka’s assembly (typical)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A gaṇa addresses the assembly, proclaiming Hara as the embodiment of all gods; the sacrificial arena glows with fires, priests, and offerings, while an unseen Śiva-presence dominates the composition.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara
• Hara (Śiva)
• Dakṣa
• Yajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva is the all-encompassing Lord; excluding him from worship contradicts the very nature of yajña and universal dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is transmitted within the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra-māhātmya of the Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śiva (Hara/Īśvara) should be worshipped in all yajñas; omission is presented as a grave ritual and dharmic fault.