Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

कथं प्रतिष्ठितं लिङ्गं पुष्करे पापतस्करे । एतद्विस्तरतो ब्रूहि फलं माहात्म्यसंयुतम्

Transliteration

kathaṃ pratiṣṭhitaṃ liṅgaṃ puṣkare pāpataskare | etadvistarato brūhi phalaṃ māhātmyasaṃyutam

Translation

पापांचा चोर म्हणविल्या जाणाऱ्या पुष्करात ते लिंग कसे प्रतिष्ठित झाले? त्याचे माहात्म्ययुक्त फळही सहित, हे सर्व विस्ताराने सांगा।

Word by Word

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

• प्रतिष्ठितम्: established
• प्रतिष्ठितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रति-स्था (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त/PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; 'स्थापितम्/established'

• लिङ्गम्: the liṅga (Śiva emblem)
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• पुष्करे: in Puṣkara
• पुष्करे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• पापतस्करे: (in) the 'thief of sins' (holy place)
• पापतस्करे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पापतस्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (पापं तस्कर इव/पापहरः)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• विस्तरतः: in detail
• विस्तरतः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विस्तरतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त), अर्थे: 'विस्तरेण/in detail'

• ब्रूहि: tell
• ब्रूहि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन

• फलम्: the result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• माहात्म्य-संयुतम्: endowed with (its) greatness
• माहात्म्य-संयुतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक) + संयुत (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्ताधारित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः तृतीया/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थः (माहात्म्येन/माहात्म्यस्य संयुतम्)

Speaker

Śrī Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣkara (Aṣṭapuṣkara-kuṇḍa) in Prabhāsa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śiva

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī presses for details; the pond is envisioned as a ‘thief of sins’—a subtle personification: shadowy chains breaking and slipping into the water; in the distance, the liṅga installation scene is poised to unfold like a staged tableau.

Characters & Entities

• Puṣkara
• Liṅga
• Māhātmya
• Pāpa-kṣaya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s greatness is understood through its origin-story and promised fruits; knowing the māhātmya strengthens faith and practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Puṣkara is praised as pāpa-taskara, a place famed for removing sins, while the broader narrative remains within Prabhāsa-kṣetra’s māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-pratiṣṭhā (installation) is the focal act being asked about; the verse requests its phala (spiritual results).