Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि देवं गुरुनिषेवितम् । उमायाः पूर्वदिग्भागे सिद्धेशाग्नेयगोचरे

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi devaṃ guruniṣevitam | umāyāḥ pūrvadigbhāge siddheśāgneyagocare

Translation

ईश्वर उवाच—ततो गच्छेत् महादेवि, गुरुणा निषेवितं देवं; उमायाः पूर्वदिग्भागे सिद्धेशस्याग्नेयगोचरे स्थितम्।

Word by Word

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

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

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): ‘thereupon/then’

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

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

• devam: to the god
• devam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म

• guru-niṣevitam: served/attended by the guru
• guru-niṣevitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: guru + niṣevita (कृदन्त; नि-सेव् (धातु) क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषणम्—देवम् इति विशेषणम् (‘served by the guru’)

• umāyāḥ: of Umā
• umāyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: umā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध

• pūrva-dig-bhāge: in the eastern quarter/part
• pūrva-dig-bhāge: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūrva + diś + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरणे (‘in the part of the eastern direction’)

• siddheśa-āgneya-gocare: in the Siddheśa area, in the southeast range
• siddheśa-āgneya-gocare: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: siddha-īśa + āgneya + gocara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषणम्—(pūrvadigbhāge) इति अधिकरणस्य विशेषणम् (‘within the range of Siddheśa in the southeast’)

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Deity served by Guru (likely a Guru/Bṛhaspati-associated shrine) within Siddheśa precinct, Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Umā/Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Īśvara speaking to Mahādevī (Umā/Pārvatī), pointing toward the southeast of Siddheśa; a mapped mandala-like temple complex with cardinal directions; a shrine where Bṛhaspati (Guru) is shown in attendance/serving.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Īśvara)
• Umā
• Siddheśa
• Prabhāsa Kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is mapped as sacred geography—approaching specific liṅgas with guidance (guru) is portrayed as a dhārmic path.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A shrine/देव associated with “guruniṣevita” in the Siddheśa south-eastern precinct within Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A yātrā-instruction: ‘one should go’ (gacchet) to the specified deity/shrine.