Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । तस्यैव पूर्वदिग्भागे धनुषां पंचके स्थितम् । लक्ष्मीश्वरेति विख्यातं दारिद्र्यौघविनाशनम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tasyaiva pūrvadigbhāge dhanuṣāṃ paṃcake sthitam | lakṣmīśvareti vikhyātaṃ dāridryaughavināśanam

Translation

自在天（Īśvara）曰：在此处之东方，距五弓之遥，有一灵伽安住，名闻为“吉祥自在天”（Lakṣmīśvara），能摧灭贫乏之洪流。

Word by Word

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

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तस्य: of that (place/it)
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic/restrictive particle)

• पूर्वदिग्भागे: in the eastern quarter/part
• पूर्वदिग्भागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व-दिक्-भाग (प्रातिपदिक; components: पूर्व + दिक् + भाग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• धनुषाम्: of bows (as a measure)
• धनुषाम्: Sambandha (Measure/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• पञ्चके: in a set/measure of five
• पञ्चके: Adhikarana (Measure-location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; परिमाणवाचक

• स्थितम्: situated
• स्थितम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (स्थल/लिङ्ग-विशेषण)

• लक्ष्मीश्वरेति: as ‘Lakṣmīśvara’
• लक्ष्मीश्वरेति: Name/Quotation marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: लक्ष्मी-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; components: लक्ष्मी + ईश्वर)
• Form: इति-युक्त नामनिर्देशः; 'लक्ष्मीश्वरे' (सप्तमी/प्रथमा-रूपेण नाम) + इति (quotative)

• विख्यातम्: renowned/called
• विख्यातम्: Karma (Predicate qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-ख्या (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• दारिद्र्यौघविनाशनम्: destroyer of the flood of poverty
• दारिद्र्यौघविनाशनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दारिद्र्य-ओघ-विनाशन (प्रातिपदिक; components: दारिद्र्य + ओघ + विनाशन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (स्थल/लिङ्ग)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Lakṣmīśvara

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī (implied by ‘priye’ in the adhyāya context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim path in Prabhāsa: to the east, a small liṅga-shrine labeled Lakṣmīśvara; pilgrims measure ‘five bow-lengths’ from a prior landmark; a priest offers bilva leaves, lamps, and water; the sea-breeze of Saurashtra in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara
• Lakṣmīśvara
• Prabhāsa Kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma-centered worship at a tīrtha is portrayed as transforming scarcity into auspicious fortune under divine grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Lakṣmīśvara Liṅga in Prabhāsa Kṣetra, located in the eastern sector of the described sacred area.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite in this verse; it introduces the shrine and its promised benefit (poverty-destruction).