Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि कुमारेश्वरमुत्तमम् । मार्कण्डेश्वरतो देवि दक्षिणे नातिदूरतः । धनुर्विंशतिभिस्तत्र स्थितं स्वामिप्रतिष्ठितम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi kumāreśvaramuttamam | mārkaṇḍeśvarato devi dakṣiṇe nātidūrataḥ | dhanurviṃśatibhistatra sthitaṃ svāmipratiṣṭhitam

Translation

ईश्वर କହିଲେ—ତତଃ, ହେ ମହାଦେବୀ, ଉତ୍ତମ କୁମାରେଶ୍ୱରଙ୍କୁ ଯିବା ଉଚିତ। ହେ ଦେବୀ, ମାର୍କଣ୍ଡେଶ୍ୱରଠାରୁ ଦକ୍ଷିଣେ ଅତିଦୂର ନୁହେଁ—ବିଶ ଧନୁ ଦୂରେ—ସେଠାରେ ସ୍ୱାମୀଙ୍କ ଦ୍ୱାରା ପ୍ରତିଷ୍ଠିତ (ଲିଙ୍ଗ) ଅବସ୍ଥିତ।

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara (Lord Śiva)
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• tataḥ: then; thereafter
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रयोगः (then/thereafter)

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• mahādevi: O great goddess
• mahādevi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-devī (प्रातिपदिक; महा + देवी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative/8th); एकवचन

• kumāreśvaram: to Kumāreśvara
• kumāreśvaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kumāra-īśvara (प्रातिपदिक; कुमार + ईश्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• uttamam: excellent; supreme
• uttamam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन; (kumāreśvaram इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• mārkaṇḍeśvarataḥ: from (the shrine of) Mārkaṇḍeśvara
• mārkaṇḍeśvarataḥ: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārkaṇḍa-īśvara (प्रातिपदिक; मार्कण्ड + ईश्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी विभक्ति (5th/Ablative); एकवचन

• devi: O goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचन

• dakṣiṇe: to the south
• dakṣiṇe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dakṣiṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन; दिशि-प्रयोगः (to the south)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• atidūrataḥ: not very far
• atidūrataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ati-dūra (प्रातिपदिक; अति + दूर)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (ablatival adverb: 'from too far' → 'very far')

• dhanurviṃśatibhiḥ: by twenty bow-lengths
• dhanurviṃśatibhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/Measure/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhanus-viṃśati (प्रातिपदिक; धनुस् + विंशति)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental); बहुवचन; परिमाणवाचकः (by twenty bow-lengths)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• sthitam: situated; standing
• sthitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; (liṅgam इत्यादि नपुंसकस्य विशेषणम्)

• svāmipratiṣṭhitam: installed by the Lord/master
• svāmipratiṣṭhitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: svāmin-pratiṣṭhita (प्रातिपदिक; स्वामिन् + प्रतिष्ठित)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; (स्वामिना प्रतिष्ठितम्—agent implied)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kumāreśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva instructs Devī to proceed to Kumāreśvara: a southern path from Mārkaṇḍeśvara marked by flags and pilgrims; the Kumāreśvara shrine appears as an ‘uttama’ liṅga, said to be installed by the Lord himself.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Devī
• Kumāreśvara
• Mārkaṇḍeśvara
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is taught as a guided sacred itinerary: moving from shrine to shrine within the kṣetra is itself a dharmic practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kumāreśvara, located south of Mārkaṇḍeśvara in Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The directive is to go (gacchet) to Kumāreśvara; specific rites are not listed in this verse.