Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि देवं त्रैलोक्यपूजितम् । वृषध्वजेश्वरं नाम स्थितं दक्षिणतस्तथा

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi devaṃ trailokyapūjitam | vṛṣadhvajeśvaraṃ nāma sthitaṃ dakṣiṇatastathā

Translation

اِیشور نے فرمایا: پھر، اے مہادیوی، اُس دیوتا کے پاس جانا جو تینوں لوکوں میں پوجا جاتا ہے، جس کا نام وِرشَدھوجیشور ہے، اور جو جنوب کی سمت میں قائم ہے۔

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara (Lord)
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular masculine

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Perfect, 3rd person singular

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अव्यय-प्रयोगः (अपादान/क्रमसूचक) — Indeclinable adverb ('then/from there')

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Optative, 3rd person singular (injunctive sense: 'should go')

• महादेवि: O great Goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक; महा + देवी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — Vocative singular feminine; कर्मधारय: 'महती देवी'

• देवम्: the god
• देवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative singular masculine

• त्रैलोक्यपूजितम्: worshipped by the three worlds
• त्रैलोक्यपूजितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रैलोक्य-पूजित (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त; त्रैलोक्य + पूजित (√पूज् + क्त))
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative singular masculine; तृतीया/सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषार्थ: 'त्रैलोक्येन पूजितः' (worshipped by the three worlds)

• वृषध्वजेश्वरम्: Vṛṣadhvajeśvara (Lord with the bull-banner)
• वृषध्वजेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृष-ध्वज-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; वृष + ध्वज + ईश्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative singular masculine; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष: 'वृषध्वजः (शिवः) स एव ईश्वरः' (name)

• नाम: named
• नाम: Discourse particle (नामनिर्देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय/निपात)
• Form: अव्यय, नाम-निपात (नामनिर्देश) — Indeclinable particle indicating name/appellation

• स्थितम्: situated
• स्थितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्थित (कृदन्त; √स्था (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative singular masculine; past passive participle used adjectivally ('situated')

• दक्षिणतः: to the south
• दक्षिणतः: Desha-adhikarana (Locative of direction/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दक्षिणतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, दिक्शब्द-तसिल् (अव्ययभाव) — Indeclinable directional adverb ('to the south/southwards')

• तथा: thus; also
• तथा: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रियाविशेषण — Indeclinable adverb ('thus/also')

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vṛṣadhvajeśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva addresses Mahādevī, indicating the southern direction within Prabhāsa-kṣetra where the revered Vṛṣadhvajeśvara shrine stands; a pilgrim-path implied by gesture and landscape markers.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Mahādevī
• Vṛṣadhvajeśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is walked as dharma: the seeker is guided step-by-step to darśana of Śiva shrines revered across the worlds.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vṛṣadhvajeśvara, a Śiva shrine located to the south within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra pilgrimage circuit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A direct pilgrimage injunction: ‘one should go’ (gacchet) for darśana of Vṛṣadhvajeśvara.