Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि देवीं कंटकशोषिणीम् । उत्तरेण देवकुलाद्दक्षिणेनोन्नतात्स्थितात्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi devīṃ kaṃṭakaśoṣiṇīm | uttareṇa devakulāddakṣiṇenonnatātsthitāt

Translation

Īśvara phán: “Bấy giờ, hỡi Đại Nữ Thần, hãy đến yết kiến Nữ Thần Kaṇṭakaśoṣiṇī. Ngài an tọa về phía bắc Devakula và về phía nam nơi gọi là Unnata.”

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara (Lord Śiva)
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रम/हेतु-निर्देशक (adverb: then/thereafter)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + devī (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महती देवि)

• देवीम्: the goddess
• देवीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• कण्टकशोषिणीम्: (she who) dries up/removes thorns (obstacles)
• कण्टकशोषिणीम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kaṇṭaka + śoṣiṇī (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (कण्टकान् शोषयति इति शोषिणी)

• उत्तरेण: to the north of
• उत्तरेण: Adhikaraṇa (Spatial relation/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: uttara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययीभूतः दिशावाचकः (indeclinable directional: to the north of)

• देवकुलात्: from Devakula
• देवकुलात्: Apādāna (Ablative/source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devakula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन

• दक्षिणेन: to the south of
• दक्षिणेन: Adhikaraṇa (Spatial relation/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dakṣiṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययीभूतः दिशावाचकः (indeclinable directional: to the south of)

• उन्नतात्: from the elevated (spot)
• उन्नतात्: Apādāna (Ablative/source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: unnata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; स्थानवाचक (from the elevated place)

• स्थितात्: situated
• स्थितात्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthita (प्रातिपदिक; √sthā क्त)
• Form: क्त (Past passive participle) रूपेण प्रातिपदिक; पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; स्थानविशेषण (being situated)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kaṇṭakaśoṣiṇī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva (Īśvara) instructs Pārvatī on the next stop in the Prabhāsa pilgrimage: a modest Devī shrine named Kaṇṭakaśoṣiṇī, shown nestled between two landmark sites (Devakula and Unnata), with pilgrims moving along a sandy/coastal path.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
• Devī Kaṇṭakaśoṣiṇī
• Devakula
• Unnata
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is guided by precise sacred geography; approaching a named Devī in the tīrtha is itself a dharmic act that removes obstacles.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, specifically the locale of Devī Kaṇṭakaśoṣiṇī situated between Devakula and Unnata.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A directional instruction for pilgrimage (gacchet—‘one should go’) to the Devī’s shrine; no specific dāna/snānā/japa is stated in this verse.