Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि गोप्यादित्यमनुत्तमम् । भूतेशाद्वायवे भागे धनुषां त्रिंशकेन्तरे

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi gopyādityamanuttamam | bhūteśādvāyave bhāge dhanuṣāṃ triṃśakentare

Translation

Īśvara bersabda: Kemudian, wahai Mahādevī, hendaklah seseorang pergi ke (kuil) Gopyāditya yang tiada bandingan—terletak di arah Vāyavya dari Bhūteśa, pada jarak tiga puluh dhanuṣ (ukuran panjang busur).

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रम/ततः-शब्दः (adverb: then/thereafter)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन; समासः—महती देवी (कर्मधारय)

• गोप्यादित्यम्: Gopya-Āditya
• गोप्यादित्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोप्य (प्रातिपदिक) + आदित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; समासः—गोप्यः आदित्यः (कर्मधारय); तीर्थ/देव-नाम

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed
• अनुत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• भूतेशात्: from Bhūteśa
• भूतेशात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूतेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन

• वायवे: toward Vāyu / in the direction of Vāyu
• वायवे: Sampradana (Reference/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4), एकवचन; दिशि/देवतायां प्रयोगः

• भागे: in the region/part
• भागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• धनुषाम्: of bows (a measure)
• धनुषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• त्रिंशके: in the thirty (bows) measure
• त्रिंशके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिंशक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; परिमाणवाचक

• अन्तरे: within/between
• अन्तरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gopyāditya

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva (Īśvara) instructs Devī, pointing toward the northwest; a stylized map-like landscape shows Bhūteśa shrine and, at a short distance, a radiant Āditya temple labeled Gopyāditya; pilgrims walking with staffs and waterpots.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Mahādevī
• Gopyāditya
• Bhūteśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is mapped as a disciplined journey—moving from one sanctified point to another as instructed by divine authority.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gopyāditya tīrtha/shrine within Prabhāsa-kṣetra, located relative to Bhūteśa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A pilgrimage directive: proceed to Gopyāditya, identified by precise directional and distance markers (vāyavya, thirty dhanuṣ).