Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि पुष्करारण्यमुत्तमम् । तस्मादीशानकोणस्थं धनुषां षष्टिभिः स्थितम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi puṣkarāraṇyamuttamam | tasmādīśānakoṇasthaṃ dhanuṣāṃ ṣaṣṭibhiḥ sthitam

Translation

Īśvara phán: “Rồi đó, hỡi Đại Nữ Thần, hãy đi đến khu rừng Puṣkara tối thắng. Từ nơi ấy, về hướng Đông Bắc, cách sáu mươi tầm cung, nơi ấy tọa lạc.”

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन; कर्ता (speaker tag)

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

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

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद; विधेय (should go)

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

• puṣkarāraṇyam: the Puṣkara forest
• puṣkarāraṇyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣkara-araṇya (प्रातिपदिक; पुष्कर + अरण्य)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; कर्म

• uttamam: excellent
• uttamam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण (to araṇyam)

• tasmāt: from there
• tasmāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tasmāt (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक tad)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादानार्थक (ablatival adverb: from there/from that)

• īśānakoṇastham: situated in the northeast corner
• īśānakoṇastham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: īśāna-koṇa-stha (प्रातिपदिक; ईशान + कोण + स्थ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण (to implied ‘place/kuṇḍa’)

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

• ṣaṣṭibhiḥ: by sixty
• ṣaṣṭibhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣaṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक; संख्या)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental); बहुवचन; करण (measure by)

• sthitam: situated/placed
• sthitam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण (placed/situated)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣkara-araṇya (Prabhāsa itinerary locus)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī/Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva speaks to Devī, pointing toward the northeast; a forest grove labeled Puṣkara-araṇya appears with a path leading to a marked shrine/spot at a measured distance; pilgrims follow the indicated route.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Devī
• Puṣkarāraṇya
• Īśānakoṇa (northeast)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is mapped as a disciplined journey—moving through sanctified landscapes with mindful direction and purpose.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Puṣkarāraṇya (the Puṣkara forest), introduced as a sacred destination within the Prabhāsa Kṣetra circuit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A travel instruction is given: proceed to Puṣkarāraṇya and locate the next sacred point to the northeast at a stated distance.