Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

चत्वारि त्रीणि चैकं वा यथाशक्त्याभिपूज्य च । लिंगानि तानि संपूज्य शक्तीस्तिस्रस्ततोऽर्चयेत्

Transliteration

catvāri trīṇi caikaṃ vā yathāśaktyābhipūjya ca | liṃgāni tāni saṃpūjya śaktīstisrastato'rcayet

Translation

จงบูชาสี่ หรือสาม หรือแม้เพียงหนึ่ง ตามกำลังศรัทธาและความสามารถ เมื่อบูชาลึงค์เหล่านั้นโดยครบถ้วนแล้ว จึงค่อยถวายอรจนาแด่ศักติทั้งสาม

Word by Word

• catvāri: four
• catvāri: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur (प्रातिपदिक; numeral)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषणम्

• trīṇi: three
• trīṇi: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक; numeral)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषणम्

• ca: or/and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• ekam: one
• ekam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक; numeral)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; संख्याविशेषणम्

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Alternative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (disjunctive particle)

• yathāśaktyā: according to one’s ability
• yathāśaktyā: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā-śakti (प्रातिपदिक; यथा + शक्ति)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (adverbial)

• abhipūjya: having duly worshipped
• abhipūjya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pūj (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; ल्यप्/क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund) with अभि-उपसर्ग

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• liṃgāni: liṅgas
• liṃgāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन

• tāni: those
• tāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक; सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन

• saṃpūjya: having worshipped completely
• saṃpūjya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pūj (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; ल्यप्/क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund) with सम्-उपसर्ग

• śaktīḥ: the powers
• śaktīḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन

• tisraḥ: three
• tisraḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक; numeral)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषणम् (agreeing with śaktīḥ)

• tataḥ: thereafter
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Sequence/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb)

• arcayet: should worship
• arcayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arc (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विध्यर्थ), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Somnātha-Prabhāsa liṅga-mandala with śakti-traya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrim/recipient of the Prabhāsa worship manual

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims at Prabhāsa choose a manageable set of liṅga shrines—some worship four, some three, some one—then gather before three Devi icons representing the śakti-traya for concluding homage.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Liṅga
• Three Śaktis (Icchā/Kriyā/Jñāna)
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere devotion is accepted even when practice is limited by circumstance; what matters is completing worship with reverence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, through its prescribed pattern of liṅga-pūjā and śakti-arcana.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform liṅga-pūjā (four/three/one as able), then worship the three śaktis afterward.