Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 98

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच अथ मेरोर्महादेवि अष्टशृंगस्य सुव्रते । पूजाविधानमंत्रांस्ते कथयामि समासतः

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca atha merormahādevi aṣṭaśṛṃgasya suvrate | pūjāvidhānamaṃtrāṃste kathayāmi samāsataḥ

Translation

ଈଶ୍ୱର କହିଲେ—ହେ ମହାଦେବୀ, ହେ ସୁବ୍ରତେ! ଏବେ ମୁଁ ମେରୁର ଅଷ୍ଟଶୃଙ୍ଗ (ଆଠ ଶିଖର) ରୂପର ପୂଜାବିଧି ଓ ମନ୍ତ୍ରଗୁଡ଼ିକୁ ତୁମକୁ ସଂକ୍ଷେପରେ କହୁଛି।

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara (Lord)
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन (masculine nominative singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular)

• atha: then, now
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, आरम्भ/अनन्तरार्थक (particle: then/now)

• meroḥ: of Meru
• meroḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: meru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन (masculine genitive singular)

• mahādevi: O great goddess
• mahādevi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: महा + देवी (कर्मधारय; ‘great goddess’). स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th case), एकवचन (vocative singular)

• aṣṭaśṛṃgasya: of the eight-peaked (mountain)
• aṣṭaśṛṃgasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṣṭa-śṛṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: अष्ट + शृङ्ग (द्विगु; ‘eight-peaked’). नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग ‘शृङ्ग’ आधार, षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन (genitive singular)

• suvrate: O virtuous one
• suvrate: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su-vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: सु + व्रत (कर्मधारय; ‘good-vowed’). स्त्रीलिङ्ग (addressing a woman), सम्बोधन (8th case), एकवचन (vocative singular)

• pūjāvidhānamaṃtrān: the mantras for the worship procedure
• pūjāvidhānamaṃtrān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūjā-vidhāna-mantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (बहुपद): पूजा + विधान + मन्त्र (तत्पुरुष; ‘mantras of the worship-procedure’). पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), बहुवचन (accusative plural)

• te: to you
• te: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी (4th case), एकवचन (dative singular: ‘to you/for you’)

• kathayāmi: I tell, I explain
• kathayāmi: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kath (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (singular)

• samāsataḥ: briefly
• samāsataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samāsatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, संक्षेपार्थक (adverb: briefly/in summary)

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Meru Aṣṭaśṛṅga

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Īśvara addresses Mahādevī, pointing toward a majestic eight-peaked Meru rising like a cosmic axis; the scene blends Himalayan grandeur with celestial symbolism, as mantras are about to be revealed.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara
• Mahādevī
• Meru
• Aṣṭaśṛṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places and forms are approached through right method—knowledge of mantra and vidhi is itself a limb of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching occurs within the Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya framework, extending to the sacred symbolism of Meru’s Aṣṭaśṛṅga.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An introduction to the forthcoming pūjā-vidhi and its mantras for worshipping the Aṣṭaśṛṅga form associated with Meru.