Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि महाप्रभासमुत्तमम् । जलप्रभासतो याम्ये यममार्गविघातकम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi mahāprabhāsamuttamam | jalaprabhāsato yāmye yamamārgavighātakam

Translation

อีศวรตรัสว่า: ต่อจากนั้น โอ้มหาเทวี พึงไปยังมหาประภาสอันประเสริฐยิ่ง ซึ่งอยู่ทางทิศใต้ของชลประภาส—เป็นสถานศักดิ์สิทธิ์ที่ขัดขวางหนทางของยมะ (ขจัดความครั่นคร้ามต่อความตายและการพิพากษา)

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; वक्ता/कर्ता

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

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-प्रातिपदिकात्)
• Form: अव्यय (काल/अनन्तरता adverb)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

• महाप्रभासम्: to Mahāprabhāsa
• महाप्रभासम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाप्रभास (प्रातिपदिक; महा + प्रभास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (object of गच्छेत्)

• उत्तमम्: excellent
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण to महाप्रभासम्

• जलप्रभासतः: from Jalaprabhāsa
• जलप्रभासतः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जलप्रभास (प्रातिपदिक; जल + प्रभास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अपादान (source)

• याम्ये: in the southern (direction)
• याम्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: याम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; विशेषण (directional) with implied देशे

• यममार्गविघातकम्: that which obstructs Yama’s path
• यममार्गविघातकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यम-मार्ग-विघातक (प्रातिपदिक; यम + मार्ग + विघातक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण to महाप्रभासम्

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
• Mahāprabhāsa
• Jalaprabhāsa
• Yama

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is framed as a dharmic journey where sacred geography becomes protection from mortality’s fear and a support for liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mahāprabhāsa, described as south of Jalaprabhāsa, famed for negating the ‘path of Yama’.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A directional prescription: ‘one should go’ to Mahāprabhāsa as part of the Prabhāsa pilgrimage circuit.