Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

ततो दृष्ट्वा तु तत्क्षेत्रं पुण्यं ह्यृषिनिषेवितम् । सर्वत्र व्यापितं लिंगैराश्रमैश्च तपस्विनाम्

Transliteration

tato dṛṣṭvā tu tatkṣetraṃ puṇyaṃ hyṛṣiniṣevitam | sarvatra vyāpitaṃ liṃgairāśramaiśca tapasvinām

Translation

پھر اُس نے اُس مقدّس کِشتر کو دیکھا جو رِشیوں کی سیوا سے پُنیّت ہوا تھا؛ وہ ہر سو شِو لِنگوں اور تپسویوں کے آشرموں سے بھرا ہوا تھا۔

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रमबोधक (then)

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having seen)

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधसूचक निपात (but/indeed)

• tat-kṣetram: that sacred place/field
• tat-kṣetram: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (तत् क్షेत्रम्)

• puṇyam: holy, meritorious
• puṇyam: Karman (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (tat-kṣetram)

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ निपात (indeed/for)

• ṛṣi-niṣevitam: frequented/served by sages
• ṛṣi-niṣevitam: Karman (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक) + niṣevita (सेव् धातु-आधारित कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (ऋषिभिः निषेवितम्) विशेषणम्

• sarvatra: everywhere
• sarvatra: Adhikarana (Location/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarvatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (everywhere)

• vyāpitam: pervaded, filled
• vyāpitam: Karman (Qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vyāp (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (PPP); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (tat-kṣetram इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• liṅgaiḥ: with liṅgas
• liṅgaiḥ: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• āśramaiḥ: with hermitages
• āśramaiḥ: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āśrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (and)

• tapasvinām: of ascetics
• tapasvinām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapasvin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive), बहुवचन

Speaker

Śiva (deduced from chapter flow; narrative voice within Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (liṅga-āśrama spread)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gaṅgā beholds Prabhāsa: a vast holy tract dotted everywhere with countless liṅgas and serene hermitages, sages in meditation, sacrificial fires, and pathways between shrines.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa Kṣetra
• Ṛṣis (sages)
• Śiva-liṅgas
• Tapasvins (ascetics)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha becomes supremely holy through sustained tapas and the presence of saints, manifesting as a living sacred geography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, portrayed as a region densely sanctified by liṅgas and ascetic āśramas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed here; the verse emphasizes the sanctifying presence of liṅgas and ascetic practice.