Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

देव्युवाच । कथं स पातकान्मुक्तः कथं पापमभूत्पुरा । कथं तत्स्थापितं लिंगं किंप्रभावं वदस्व मे

Transliteration

devyuvāca | kathaṃ sa pātakānmuktaḥ kathaṃ pāpamabhūtpurā | kathaṃ tatsthāpitaṃ liṃgaṃ kiṃprabhāvaṃ vadasva me

Translation

女神说道：“他如何从罪垢中得解脱？那罪业当初如何生起？那林伽如何安立，其神圣威力为何？请为我宣说。”

Word by Word

• devī: the Goddess
• devī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• katham: how?
• katham: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक क्रियाविशेषण (interrogative adverb)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• pātakāt: from sins
• pātakāt: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), बहुवचन (Plural) (पातकान् + पञ्चमी)

• muktaḥ: freed
• muktaḥ: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mukta (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त from √muc (मुच्)

• katham: how?
• katham: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक

• pāpam: sin
• pāpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन

• abhūt: arose/occurred/was
• abhūt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• purā: formerly
• purā: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb: formerly)

• katham: how?
• katham: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक

• tat: that
• tat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying liṅgam)

• sthāpitam: established
• sthāpitam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthāpita (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त from √sthā (स्था) causative √sthāp (स्थाप्)

• liṅgam: liṅga (Śiva emblem)
• liṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• kim: what?
• kim: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक/अव्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक विशेषण (qualifying prabhāvam)

• prabhāvam: power, efficacy
• prabhāvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• vadasva: tell
• vadasva: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vad (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• me: to me
• me: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-एकवचन (Gen./Dat. singular) एन्क्लिटिक रूप; यहाँ चतुर्थी (to me)

Speaker

Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Somnātha region)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Īśvara (Śiva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī, seated in a serene divine assembly, asks Śiva about the origin of sin, its release, and the establishment and power of a particular liṅga at Prabhāsa.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Liṅga
• Rāma
• Rāmeśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Inquiry into the origin of fault and the method of purification is itself dharmic; understanding strengthens faith in tirtha and liṅga worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Rāmeśvara (the liṅga and its locale) within Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; the verse introduces liṅga-pratiṣṭhā and the tirtha’s prabhāva as the topic.