Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि लक्ष्मणेश्वरमुत्तमम् । रामेशात्पूर्वदिग्भागे धनुस्त्रिंशकसंस्थितम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi lakṣmaṇeśvaramuttamam | rāmeśātpūrvadigbhāge dhanustriṃśakasaṃsthitam

Translation

ఈశ్వరుడు పలికెను—హే మహాదేవీ, అనంతరం రామేశ్వరునికి తూర్పు దిశలో ముప్పై ధనుస్సుల దూరంలో ఉన్న ఉత్తమ లక్ష్మణేశ్వరుని దర్శించుటకు వెళ్లవలెను।

Word by Word

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

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana/Desha-Kala (Context: then/thereafter)
• 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 (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; (महā + देवी)

• लक्ष्मणेश्वरम्: Lakṣmaṇeśvara (Lord of Lakṣmaṇa)
• लक्ष्मणेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लक्ष्मण + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (लक्ष्मणस्य ईश्वरः)

• उत्तमम्: excellent/supreme
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• रामेशात्: from Rāmeśa (Rāmeśvara)
• रामेशात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रामेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (रामस्य ईशः)

• पूर्व-दिक्-भागे: in the eastern direction-part
• पूर्व-दिक्-भागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व + दिक् + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समाहार/निर्देशार्थ-तत्पुरुष (पूर्वायां दिशि भागः)

• धनुः-त्रिंशक-संस्थितम्: situated at (a distance of) thirty bows
• धनुः-त्रिंशक-संस्थितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धनुस् + त्रिंशक + संस्थित (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त), √स्था + सम्; विशेषण; (धनुषां त्रिंशके संस्थितम्)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Lakṣmaṇeśvara

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī / Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva instructs Devī like a guide, pointing eastward from the Rāmeśvara shrine toward Lakṣmaṇeśvara; pilgrims walk a short measured distance through sacred precincts.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Lakṣmaṇeśvara
• Rāmeśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is presented as a disciplined journey through a sacred landscape, where specific shrines are approached in prescribed sequence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Lakṣmaṇeśvara, described as near Rāmeśvara, specifically to its east.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The prescription is directional and practical: “one should go” (gacchet) to Lakṣmaṇeśvara as part of the tīrtha itinerary.