Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 71

Devanagari script

संसारस्य विमोक्षार्थमिदं लिंगं तु दृश्यताम् । दुर्लभं सर्वलोकानामिदं मोक्षप्रदं परम् । इदं पाशुपतं ज्ञानमस्मिंल्लिंगे प्रतिष्ठितम्

Transliteration

saṃsārasya vimokṣārthamidaṃ liṃgaṃ tu dṛśyatām | durlabhaṃ sarvalokānāmidaṃ mokṣapradaṃ param | idaṃ pāśupataṃ jñānamasmiṃlliṃge pratiṣṭhitam

Translation

เพื่อหลุดพ้นจากพันธนาการแห่งสังสารวัฏ จงเฝ้าดูและน้อมรับทัศนะต่อศิวลึงค์นี้เถิด สิ่งนี้หาได้ยากยิ่งแก่สรรพโลก และเป็นยอดยิ่ง—ประทานโมกษะ ความรู้ปาศุปตะสถิตอยู่ในลึงค์นี้เอง

Word by Word

• संसारस्य: of saṃsāra
• संसारस्य: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संसार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — genitive singular

• विमोक्ष-अर्थम्: for liberation
• विमोक्ष-अर्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विमोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — accusative singular used adverbially (‘for the sake of’); तत्पुरुषः (विमोक्षस्य अर्थः)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

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

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — emphasis/contrast

• दृश्यताम्: let (it) be seen
• दृश्यताम्: Kriya (Injunction/विधि-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन — passive/आत्मनेपद-रूप ‘let it be seen’

• दुर्लभम्: rare, hard to obtain
• दुर्लभम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — agrees with इदम् (लिङ्गम्)

• सर्व-लोकानाम्: of all worlds/people
• सर्व-लोकानाम्: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन — genitive plural; तत्पुरुषः (सर्वेषां लोकानाम्)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• मोक्ष-प्रदम्: granting liberation
• मोक्ष-प्रदम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — agrees with इदम् (लिङ्गम्); तत्पुरुषः (मोक्षं प्रददाति इति)

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — agrees with इदम्

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• पाशुपतम्: Pāśupata
• पाशुपतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाशुपत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — agrees with ज्ञानम्

• ज्ञानम्: knowledge
• ज्ञानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — nominative/accusative singular

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — locative singular

• लिङ्गे: in the liṅga
• लिङ्गे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — locative singular

• प्रतिष्ठितम्: is established
• प्रतिष्ठितम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति + स्था (धातु) → प्रतिष्ठित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘established’ (predicate)

Speaker

Śiva (inferred; doctrinal claim about Pāśupata-jñāna aligns with Śaiva self-revelation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pāśupateśvara (liṅga) at Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim stands before a radiant liṅga labeled Pāśupateśvara; subtle visual motifs of ‘bondage’ (pāśa) dissolving into light, indicating saṃsāra-vimokṣa through darśana and Pāśupata-jñāna.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa-kṣetra
• Pāśupata (doctrine)
• Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation is linked to darśana and devotion to the liṅga, where Śaiva salvific knowledge (Pāśupata-jñāna) is said to reside.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The liṅga shrine within Prabhāsa-kṣetra, presented as rare and mokṣa-giving.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana (beholding) of the liṅga is explicitly urged as a means toward release from saṃsāra.