Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि विचित्रेश्वरमुत्तमम् । तस्यैव पूर्वदिग्भागे किञ्चिदाग्नेयगोचरे । धनुषां दशके तत्र स्थितं पापप्रणाशनम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi vicitreśvaramuttamam | tasyaiva pūrvadigbhāge kiñcidāgneyagocare | dhanuṣāṃ daśake tatra sthitaṃ pāpapraṇāśanam

Translation

اِیشور نے فرمایا: اے مہادیوی! پھر بہترین وِچِترِیشور کے پاس جانا چاہیے۔ وہاں سے مشرق کی سمت، کچھ آگنیہ یعنی جنوب مشرق کی طرف، دس دھنش کے فاصلے پر وہ پاپوں کا ناش کرنے والا قائم ہے۔

Word by Word

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

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः (adverb)

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लोट्/विधिलिङ्-रूपम् (injunctive/optative sense), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; विध्यर्थः (should go)

• mahādevi: O great goddess
• mahādevi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-devī (प्रातिपदिक; महा + देवी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• vicitreśvaram: to Vicitreśvara
• vicitreśvaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vicitra-īśvara (प्रातिपदिक; विचित्र + ईश्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (object of going)

• uttamam: excellent
• uttamam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (vicitreśvaram)

• tasya: of that (place/deity)
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपातः (emphatic particle)

• pūrvadigbhāge: in the eastern direction-part
• pūrvadigbhāge: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūrva-dik-bhāga (प्रातिपदिक; पूर्व + दिक् + भाग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणे

• kiñcit: somewhat
• kiñcit: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kiñcit (अव्यय/सर्वनाम-नपुंसक)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाणवाचक (a little/somewhat)

• āgneyagocare: in the range toward the southeast (Agni’s quarter)
• āgneyagocare: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āgneya-gocara (प्रातिपदिक; आग्नेय + गोचर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणे

• dhanuṣām: of bows (as a measure)
• dhanuṣām: Sambandha (Measure/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhanus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; परिमाण-सम्बन्धः (measure)

• daśake: within a ten (bows)
• daśake: Adhikarana (Measure-location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daśaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणे/परिमाणे (within a ten)

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

• sthitam: situated
• sthitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (pāpapraṇāśanam)

• pāpapraṇāśanam: the destroyer of sins
• pāpapraṇāśanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa-praṇāśana (प्रातिपदिक; पाप + प्रणाशन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विषय/वस्तु-निर्देशः

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vicitreśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva continues guiding Pārvatī, pointing toward the eastern quarter with a slight south-eastern tilt; a second shrine (Vicitreśvara) appears along a short path, suggesting a pilgrim’s itinerary across Prabhāsa.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
• Vicitreśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The text treats pilgrimage as a sacred itinerary: reaching specific liṅgas is linked with pāpa-kṣaya (the dissolution of sin).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vicitreśvara in Prabhāsakṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Instruction to go/visit Vicitreśvara; the verse highlights its sin-destroying merit.