Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । तस्माच्छुक्रेश्वराद्गच्छेद्देवि लिंगं महाप्रभम् । शनैश्चरैश्वरंनाम महापातकनाशनम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tasmācchukreśvarādgaccheddevi liṃgaṃ mahāprabham | śanaiścaraiśvaraṃnāma mahāpātakanāśanam

Translation

ਈਸ਼ਵਰ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ: ਇਸ ਲਈ, ਹੇ ਦੇਵੀ, ਸ਼ੁਕ੍ਰੇਸ਼ਵਰ ਤੋਂ ਅੱਗੇ ਵਧ ਕੇ ਉਸ ਮਹਾਪ੍ਰਭ ਲਿੰਗ ਦੇ ਦਰਸ਼ਨ ਕਰੋ ਜੋ ‘ਸ਼ਨੈਸ਼ਚਰੈਸ਼ਵਰ’ ਨਾਮ ਨਾਲ ਪ੍ਰਸਿੱਧ ਹੈ, ਜੋ ਮਹਾਪਾਤਕਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਵੀ ਨਾਸ ਕਰ ਦਿੰਦਾ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

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

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तस्मात्: from that; therefore
• तस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन

• शुक्रेश्वरात्: from Śukreśvara
• शुक्रेश्वरात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुक्र-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; समासः: शुक्र + ईश्वर

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• देवि: O देवी
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga (Śiva emblem)
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• महाप्रभम्: greatly splendid
• महाप्रभम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाप्रभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; लिङ्गम् विशेषयति; समासः: महा + प्रभ

• शनैश्चर: Śanaiścara (Saturn)
• शनैश्चर: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शनैश्चर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासपूर्वपद (in compound)

• ऐश्वरम्: Śanaiścareśvara
• ऐश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd) एकवचन (नामरूपेण); समासः: शनैश्चर-ईश्वरम्

• नाम: named
• नाम: Sambandha (Naming marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: नाम-शब्दः (indeclinable: 'named')

• महापातक: great sin
• महापातक: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महापातक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासपूर्वपद (in compound)

• नाशनम्: destroyer of great sins
• नाशनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाशन (प्रातिपदिक; √नश्/नाश् (धातु) से)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; लिङ्गम्/ऐश्वरम् विशेषयति; समासः: महापातक-नाशनम्

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śanaiścaraiśvara

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva instructs Devī to proceed from Śukreśvara to a radiant liṅga named Śanaiścaraiśvara; the liṅga glows with 'mahāprabhā', suggesting a dark-blue Saturn aura contrasted with brilliant radiance, pilgrims moving along a sacred path.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Devī
• Śukreśvara
• Śanaiścaraiśvara
• Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage in a sacred kṣetra is portrayed as a progressive movement from shrine to shrine, each granting purification and upliftment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śanaiścaraiśvara-liṅga within Prabhāsakṣetra, reached from Śukreśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A tīrtha-yātrā instruction: go from Śukreśvara to Śanaiścaraiśvara for sin-destruction.