Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि जानकीश्वरमुत्तमम् । रामेशान्नैऋते भागे धनुस्त्रिंशकसंस्थितम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi jānakīśvaramuttamam | rāmeśānnaiṛte bhāge dhanustriṃśakasaṃsthitam

Translation

自在天说道：随后，噢大女神，应前往最殊胜的阇那姬主（Jānakīśvara），其处在罗摩主（Rāmeśvara）之西南，距三十弓（dhanu）。

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara (Lord)
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; वक्ता (speaker)

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

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

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

• mahādevi: O great goddess
• mahādevi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-devī (प्रातिपदिक; महा + देवी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; संबोधनम्

• jānakīśvaram: Jānakīśvara
• jānakīśvaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jānakī-īśvara (प्रातिपदिक; जानकी + ईश्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; गच्छेत् इत्यस्य कर्म

• uttamam: excellent; supreme
• uttamam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘jānakīśvaram’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• rāmeśāt: from Rāmeśa (Rāmeśvara)
• rāmeśāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma-īśa (प्रातिपदिक; राम + ईश)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अपादानम् (from)

• naiṛte: in the south-western
• naiṛte: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: naiṛta (प्रातिपदिक; नैऋत-दिक्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; ‘bhāge’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• bhāge: in the part/region
• bhāge: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणे

• dhanustriṃśakasaṃsthitam: situated at a distance of thirty bows
• dhanustriṃśakasaṃsthitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhanus-triṃśaka-saṃsthita (प्रातिपदिक; धनुस् + त्रिंशक + संस्थित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘jānakīśvaram’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्; ‘saṃsthita’ = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle) from √sthā (स्था) with सम्-उपसर्ग

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jānakīśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Īśvara instructs Devī on a sacred map: a stylized Prabhāsa landscape with Rāmeśvara shrine and a path leading south-west to Jānakīśvara, marked by a measured distance; pilgrims walk with staffs and water-pots.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Jānakīśvara
• Rāmeśvara
• Jānakī (Sītā, implied by name)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The māhātmya maps devotion onto geography: moving through the tīrtha landscape is itself a dharmic practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Jānakīśvara, described as near Rāmeśvara, specifically in the south-west direction.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A pilgrimage instruction: “one should go” to Jānakīśvara as part of the sacred itinerary.