Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

वाराणस्यां लोहिताक्षं गोभिलाक्षे बृहन्मुखम् । प्रयागेषु प्रतिष्ठानं वृद्धादित्यं महाद्युतिम्

Transliteration

vārāṇasyāṃ lohitākṣaṃ gobhilākṣe bṛhanmukham | prayāgeṣu pratiṣṭhānaṃ vṛddhādityaṃ mahādyutim

Translation

वाराणसीत तो ‘लोहिताक्ष’, गोभिलाक्षे ‘बृहन्मुख’ असे ते विराजतात। प्रयागांत ‘प्रतिष्ठान’ आणि महातेजस्वी ‘वृद्धादित्य’ रूपाने पूजिले जातात।

Word by Word

• vārāṇasyām: in Vārāṇasī
• vārāṇasyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vārāṇasī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative), एकवचनम्; स्थानवाचकम्

• lohitākṣam: Lohitākṣa (red-eyed one)
• lohitākṣam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lohita (प्रातिपदिक) + akṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयः (lohitaḥ akṣaḥ yasya / lohitākṣaḥ); पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेष-नाम

• gobhilākṣe: at Gobhilākṣa (place-name)
• gobhilākṣe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gobhilā (प्रातिपदिक) + akṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (gobhilāyāḥ akṣe/akṣaḥ); नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; स्थानवाचकम् (क्षेत्र-नाम)

• bṛhan-mukham: Bṛhanmukha (broad-faced one)
• bṛhan-mukham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bṛhat (प्रातिपदिक) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयः (bṛhat mukhaṃ yasya / bṛhanmukhaḥ); पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेष-नाम

• prayāgeṣu: in the Prayāgas (at Prayāga places)
• prayāgeṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prayāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative), बहुवचनम्; स्थानवाचकम्

• pratiṣṭhānam: Pratiṣṭhāna
• pratiṣṭhānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratiṣṭhāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative), एकवचनम्; विशेष-नाम

• vṛddha-ādityam: Vṛddhāditya (the aged/ancient Sun)
• vṛddha-ādityam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛddha (प्रातिपदिक) + āditya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयः (vṛddhaḥ ādityaḥ); पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेष-नाम

• mahā-dyutim: of great splendor
• mahā-dyutim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + dyuti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयः (mahā dyutiḥ yasya); पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (vṛddhādityam इति)

Speaker

Citra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vārāṇasī (Lohitākṣa); Gobhilākṣa (Bṛhanmukha); Prayāga (Pratiṣṭhāna, Vṛddhāditya)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-sage points on a sacred map: Kāśī on the Gaṅgā, Prayāga at the confluence, and distant Pratiṣṭhāna; above them Sūrya appears in multiple halos labeled Lohitākṣa, Bṛhanmukha, Pratiṣṭhāna, Vṛddhāditya.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī
• Lohitākṣa
• Gobhilākṣa
• Bṛhanmukha
• Prayāga
• Pratiṣṭhāna
• Vṛddhāditya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

One divinity is encountered through many localized names, encouraging pilgrimage-minded devotion across sacred landscapes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī (Kāśī) and Prayāga are explicitly named, along with Gobhilākṣa and Pratiṣṭhāna as Sūrya-associated sites.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the emphasis is on recognizing and venerating Sūrya’s forms in particular tīrthas.