Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि लिंगं वै वाडवेश्वरम् । लक्ष्मीशादुत्तरे भागे विशालाक्ष्याश्च दक्षिणे

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi liṃgaṃ vai vāḍaveśvaram | lakṣmīśāduttare bhāge viśālākṣyāśca dakṣiṇe

Translation

自在天说道：随后，噢大女神，应前往名为“瓦达维湿伐罗”的林伽；它位于拉克什米湿伐罗之北、毗舍罗阿克希（Viśālākṣī）之南。

Word by Word

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

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

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Kāla/Anukrama (Sequence/अनुक्रम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; ततः-शब्दः (sequence/thereafter adverb)

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

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

• liṅgam: liṅga (emblem)
• liṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• vai: indeed
• vai: Emphasis (Avadhāraṇa/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (निपात)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण/निश्चय-निपात

• vāḍaveśvaram: Vāḍaveśvara (name of the deity)
• vāḍaveśvaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāḍava-īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (वाडवस्य ईश्वरः)

• lakṣmīśāt: from Lakṣmīśa (temple/deity)
• lakṣmīśāt: Apādāna (Reference point/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lakṣmīśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• uttare: in the northern
• uttare: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; दिशावाचक-विशेषण

• bhāge: part/region
• bhāge: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāga (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• viśālākṣyāḥ: of Viśālākṣī
• viśālākṣyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśāla-akṣī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (विशाले अक्षिणी यस्याः)

• ca: and
• ca: Conjunction (Samuccaya/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (निपात)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-निपात

• dakṣiṇe: on the southern (side)
• dakṣiṇe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dakṣiṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; दिशावाचक-विशेषण

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vāḍaveśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva (Īśvara) instructs the Goddess, pointing out a liṅga shrine situated between two named sanctuaries, evoking a pilgrim’s map rendered as divine speech.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara
• Vāḍaveśvara
• Lakṣmīśvara
• Viśālākṣī
• Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is taught as a guided, intentional movement through sacred space—each shrine is approached in ordered remembrance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vāḍaveśvara Liṅga in Prabhāsa Kṣetra, described through its positional relation to Lakṣmīśvara and Viśālākṣī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A pilgrimage instruction is given: proceed to Vāḍaveśvara; no specific pūjā/vrata details appear in this verse.