Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

कोटिसंख्या महादेवि मन्त्रजाप्यपरायणाः । सम्यक्संस्थाप्य ते लिंगं कपालेशसमीपगम्

Transliteration

koṭisaṃkhyā mahādevi mantrajāpyaparāyaṇāḥ | samyaksaṃsthāpya te liṃgaṃ kapāleśasamīpagam

Translation

اے مہادیوی، وہ کروڑوں کی تعداد میں تھے، منتر جپ میں سراپا مشغول۔ انہوں نے کَپالیش کے قریب ایک لِنگ کو باقاعدہ طور پر قائم کیا۔

Word by Word

• koṭi-saṃkhyāḥ: numbering in crores
• koṭi-saṃkhyāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: koṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃkhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम् (qualifier)

• mahādevi: O great goddess
• mahādevi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahādevī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन-विभक्तिः (Vocative), एकवचनम्

• mantra-jāpya-parāyaṇāḥ: devoted to mantra-recitation
• mantra-jāpya-parāyaṇāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक) + jāpya (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-भाव) + parāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• samyak: properly
• samyak: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samyak (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb)

• saṃsthāpya: having स्थापित/installed
• saṃsthāpya: Kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sam-√sthā (धाातु) + ṇic? (causative sense) → saṃsthāpya (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययम् (gerund/absolutive, -ya); पूर्वक्रिया (having done)

• te: your
• te: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (Genitive/6th) एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• liṅgam: the liṅga
• liṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम्

• kapāla-īśa-samīpa-gam: situated near Kapāleśa
• kapāla-īśa-samīpa-gam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kapāla (प्रातिपदिक) + īśa (प्रातिपदिक) + samīpa (प्रातिपदिक) + gam (प्रातिपदिक; गम्-सम्बद्ध)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (liṅgam इति विशेष्यस्य)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kapāleśvara-samīpa liṅga (newly established)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī/Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast assembly—said to be a crore—of mantra-absorbed Pāśupatas solemnly installs a liṅga near Kapāleśa, with ritual order, sacred vessels, and a charged atmosphere of collective devotion.

Characters & Entities

• Mahādevī
• Kapāleśa/Kapāleśvara
• Liṅga
• Mantra-japa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Collective devotion—mantra-japa joined with sacred installation—creates enduring holy centers that bless future pilgrims.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A liṅga-site near Kapāleśvara in Prabhāsa Kṣetra, connected with the Koṭīśvara tradition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Mantra-japa (recitation) and liṅga-saṃsthāpana (proper establishment/installation) are explicitly referenced.