Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीदेव्युवाच । यदेतद्भवता प्रोक्तं नालेश्वरमिति श्रुतम् । ध्रुवेश्वरेति तल्लिंगं कथं वै संबभूव ह

Transliteration

śrīdevyuvāca | yadetadbhavatā proktaṃ nāleśvaramiti śrutam | dhruveśvareti talliṃgaṃ kathaṃ vai saṃbabhūva ha

Translation

พระเทวีตรัสว่า “สิ่งที่ท่านกล่าวนั้นได้ยินกันว่า ‘นาเลศวร’ แล้วลิงคะนั้นเหตุใดจึงได้ชื่อว่า ‘ธรุเวศวร’?”

Word by Word

• श्रीदेवी: the revered Goddess
• श्रीदेवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रीदेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय: श्री + देवी

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

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• भवता: by you (sir)
• भवता: Karana (Instrument/Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; आदरार्थ-प्रयोग

• प्रोक्तम्: spoken; stated
• प्रोक्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: कृत्-प्रत्यय: क्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग

• नालेश्वरम्: Nāleśvara
• नालेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाल + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: नालस्य ईश्वरः (proper name)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण-चिह्न (quotative)

• श्रुतम्: is heard/known
• श्रुतम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: कृत्-प्रत्यय: क्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘heard/known as’

• ध्रुवेश्वर: Dhruveśvara
• ध्रुवेश्वर: Sambandha (Apposition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ध्रुव + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ध्रुवस्य ईश्वरः (proper name)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण-चिह्न

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण-रूपेण

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga; emblem
• लिङ्गम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Sambandha (Interrogative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक क्रियाविशेषण (interrogative adverb)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चय/उपपादक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• संबभूव: came to be; arose
• संबभूव: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ह: (narrative particle)
• ह: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्मरण/कथन-निपात (narrative particle)

Speaker

Śrī Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāleśvara / Dhruveśvara-liṅga (Prabhāsa)

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī questions the sage/narrator in a temple setting: a liṅga in the background with two name-inscriptions (Nāleśvara/Dhruveśvara). The moment is poised at the threshold of a new legend, with attentive listeners and ritual lamps.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Nāleśvara
• Dhruveśvara
• Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred place-names and liṅga-titles carry theological history; Devī prompts Śiva to reveal the māhātmya behind them.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, focusing on the liṅga known as Nāleśvara/Dhruveśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it introduces an origin inquiry about a liṅga and its name.