Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

पुलस्त्य उवाच । ततो गच्छेत चंद्रेशं प्रभासं नृपसत्तम । प्रभा तत्र पुरा प्राप्ता चंद्रेण सुमहात्मना

Transliteration

pulastya uvāca | tato gaccheta caṃdreśaṃ prabhāsaṃ nṛpasattama | prabhā tatra purā prāptā caṃdreṇa sumahātmanā

Translation

पुलस्त्य म्हणाले—हे नृपश्रेष्ठा! मग प्रभासक्षेत्री चंद्रेशाचे दर्शन घ्यावे; तेथेच प्राचीनकाळी महात्मा चंद्राने प्रभा प्राप्त केली.

Word by Word

• pulastyaḥ: Pulastya
• pulastyaḥ: Kartā (speaker/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pulastya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masculine), Prathamā vibhakti (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (verbal action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ-lakāra (perfect/लिट्), Prathama puruṣa (3rd person), Ekavacana (singular), Parasmaipada

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; deśa-kāla-krama-vācaka (then/thereafter)

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriyā (injunctive action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (optative/विधिलिङ्), Prathama puruṣa (3rd person), Ekavacana (singular), Parasmaipada

• caṃdreśam: Candreśa (Lord of the Moon / a deity/place-name)
• caṃdreśam: Karma (object/goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caṃdra-īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masculine), Dvitīyā vibhakti (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (singular)

• prabhāsam: Prabhāsa (holy place)
• prabhāsam: Karma (object/goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masculine), Dvitīyā vibhakti (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (singular)

• nṛpasattama: O best of kings
• nṛpasattama: Sambodhana (address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa-sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masculine), Sambodhana (vocative/सम्बोधन), Ekavacana (singular)

• prabhā: Prabhā (a woman/personified radiance)
• prabhā: Kartā (subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (feminine), Prathamā vibhakti (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (singular)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; deśa-vācaka (locative adverb)

• purā: formerly
• purā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (temporal adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; kāla-vācaka (formerly)

• prāptā: arrived, attained
• prāptā: Kriyā (predicate participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-āp (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: Kta-pratyaya (past passive participle), Strīliṅga (feminine), Prathamā vibhakti (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (singular); kartari-prayoga with ‘become/arrived’ sense

• caṃdreṇa: by/with the Moon (Candra)
• caṃdreṇa: Karaṇa/Hetu (agent/instrumental)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caṃdra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masculine), Tṛtīyā vibhakti (3rd/तृतीया), Ekavacana (singular)

• su-mahātmanā: by the very great-souled one
• su-mahātmanā: Viśeṣaṇa (adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + mahā-ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masculine), Tṛtīyā vibhakti (3rd/तृतीया), Ekavacana (singular); caṃdreṇa iti viśeṣya-anvaya

Speaker

Pulastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Candreśa at Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpa-sattama (the king addressed in the māhātmya dialogue)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pulastya points the king toward Prabhāsa, indicating Candreśa; the Moon’s lost lustre is implied as a pale orb approaching a radiant coastal tīrtha with Śaiva markers.

Characters & Entities

• Pulastya
• Prabhāsa
• Candreśa
• Candra (Moon)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is a transformative journey: Prabhāsa is portrayed as a place where even cosmic beings regain lost splendour.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa, specifically the shrine/tīrtha of Candreśa connected with the Moon’s restoration of radiance.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A yātrā-instruction: “one should go” (gacchet) to Candreśa at Prabhāsa as the next sacred destination.