Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

इति संक्षेपतः प्रोक्तं महाकालेश्वरं प्रिये । चित्रांगदो गणो देवि तेन चाराधितं पुरा

Transliteration

iti saṃkṣepataḥ proktaṃ mahākāleśvaraṃ priye | citrāṃgado gaṇo devi tena cārādhitaṃ purā

Translation

یوں، اے محبوبہ، اختصار کے ساتھ مہاکالیشور کا بیان کیا گیا۔ اے دیوی، قدیم زمانے میں چِترانگد نامی ایک گن نے بھکتی کے ساتھ اُن کی عبادت کی تھی۔

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/समाप्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative/thus)

• saṃkṣepataḥ: briefly
• saṃkṣepataḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saṃkṣepa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb) ‘संक्षेपतः’ = briefly

• proktam: has been stated
• proktam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√vac (धातु; वच्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘said’

• mahākāleśvaram: Mahākāleśvara
• mahākāleśvaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्म (object)

• priye: O dear one
• priye: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: priya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; संबोधन-पद

• citrāṃgadaḥ: Citrāṃgada
• citrāṃgadaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: citra (प्रातिपदिक) + aṃgada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः ‘चित्रः अङ्गदः’ (proper name)

• gaṇaḥ: a gaṇa (attendant troop-member)
• gaṇaḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• devi: O goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• tena: by him
• tena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• ārādhitam: was worshipped
• ārādhitam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā√rādh (धातु; राध्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘worshipped/propitiated’

• purā: formerly, in the past
• purā: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahākāleśvara (later famed as Citrāṅgadeśvara)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva narrates to Devī the brief greatness of Mahākāleśvara; in the background a gaṇa named Citrāṅgada performs devoted worship before a radiant liṅga in the Prabhāsa landscape.

Characters & Entities

• Mahākāleśvara
• Citrāṅgada
• Gaṇa
• Devī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred sites gain authority through exemplary worshippers; even Śiva’s gaṇas model devotion to the kṣetra-deity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mahākāleśvara in Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new prescription—this verse introduces a traditional precedent: Citrāṅgada’s ārādhana (propitiatory worship).