Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । तत्रैव पूजयेद्देवि पंच लिंगानि भावितः । प्रतिष्ठितानि देवेशि पांडवैश्च महात्मभिः

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tatraiva pūjayeddevi paṃca liṃgāni bhāvitaḥ | pratiṣṭhitāni deveśi pāṃḍavaiśca mahātmabhiḥ

Translation

อีศวรตรัสว่า: “ณ ที่นั้นเอง โอ้เทวี ผู้จาริกผู้มีศรัทธาพึงบูชาลึงค์ทั้งห้า โอ้เทวีแห่งเหล่าเทพ; ลึงค์เหล่านี้มหาบุรุษปาณฑพได้สถาปนาไว้”

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara (Lord Śiva)
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय

• eva: indeed/itself
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis)

• pūjayet: should worship
• pūjayet: Kriya (Injunction/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pūj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• devi: O Goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• paṃca: five
• paṃca: Visheshana (Numeral qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paṃca (संख्या/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; अत्र विशेषणम् (liṅgāni इति)

• liṃgāni: liṅgas (Śiva-emblems)
• liṃgāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṃga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), बहुवचन

• bhāvitaḥ: being devout/prepared
• bhāvitaḥ: Karta (Implied agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तरि/भावे—‘भावितः’ = prepared/devout

• pratiṣṭhitāni: established
• pratiṣṭhitāni: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati-√sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; liṃgāni इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• deveśi: O Lady of the gods
• deveśi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deveśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• pāṃḍavaiḥ: by the Pāṇḍavas
• pāṃḍavaiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāṃḍava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/कर्ता), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• mahātmabhiḥ: by the great-souled ones
• mahātmabhiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/कर्ता), बहुवचन

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pañca-liṅga tīrtha (Pāṇḍava-pratiṣṭhita) within Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Īśvara addresses Devī, indicating a sacred spot where five liṅgas stand in a row or mandala; pilgrims approach with offerings, while the aura of Pāṇḍava consecration is evoked through subtle iconographic cues (bows, quivers, royal austerity).

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Devī
• Pāṇḍavas
• Pāṇḍaveśvara
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion expressed through liṅga-pūjā at a sanctified site connects the pilgrim to the merit of great exemplars (the Pāṇḍavas) and to Śiva’s grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, specifically the Pāṇḍaveśvara context where the Pāṇḍavas established five liṅgas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship (pūjā) of the five liṅgas at that very place, performed with devotion and reverent intention.