Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेद्वरारोहे महाकालेश्वरं हरम् । अघोरेशादुत्तरतः किंचिद्वायव्यसंस्थितम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchedvarārohe mahākāleśvaraṃ haram | aghoreśāduttarataḥ kiṃcidvāyavyasaṃsthitam

Translation

ਈਸ਼ਵਰ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ: ਫਿਰ, ਹੇ ਸੁੰਦਰ ਨਿਤੰਬਾਂ ਵਾਲੀ ਦੇਵੀ, ਅਘੋਰੇਸ਼ਵਰ ਤੋਂ ਕੁਝ ਉੱਤਰ ਵੱਲ, ਵਾਯਵ੍ਯ ਦਿਸ਼ਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਸਥਿਤ ਹਰਾ—ਮਹਾਕਾਲੇਸ਼ਵਰ—ਦੇ ਦਰਸ਼ਨ ਲਈ ਜਾਵੇ।

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara (Lord Śiva)
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• वरारोहे: O fair-rider (O beautiful lady)
• वरारोहे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरारोही (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः वर + आरोही (श्रेष्ठा आरोहिणी)

• महाकालेश्वरम्: Mahākāleśvara
• महाकालेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाकाल + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (महाकालस्य ईश्वरः)

• हरम्: Hara (Śiva)
• हरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• अघोरेशात्: from Aghoreśa
• अघोरेशात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अघोर + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (अघोरस्य ईशः)

• उत्तरतः: to the north; northwards
• उत्तरतः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उत्तरतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; दिशावाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (directional adverb)

• किंचित्: a little; somewhat
• किंचित्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किंचित् (अव्यय/सर्वनाम)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाणवाचक (quantifier)

• वायव्यसंस्थितम्: situated in the north-west (Vāyavya) direction
• वायव्यसंस्थितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वायव्य + संस्थित (कृदन्त; स्था-धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त); समासः वायव्ये (दिशि) संस्थितम्

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahākāleśvara (Prabhāsa)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva instructs Pārvatī on the next stop in the Prabhāsa pilgrimage: Mahākāleśvara, slightly north of Aghoreśvara in the north-west quarter; a map-like sacred landscape with two shrines and pilgrims moving between them.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Mahākāleśvara
• Aghoreśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is presented as a guided dharmic journey—moving from one sanctified liṅga to another in a purposeful sacred geography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mahākāleśvara in Prabhāsa-kṣetra, described relative to Aghoreśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The instruction is to go/visit (gacchet) Mahākāleśvara as part of the tīrtha itinerary.