Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि नीलरुद्रं द्वितीयकम् । भूतेशादुत्तरे भागे धनुषां षोडशे स्थितम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi nīlarudraṃ dvitīyakam | bhūteśāduttare bhāge dhanuṣāṃ ṣoḍaśe sthitam

Translation

自在天（Īśvara）说道：“随后，噢大女神，应前往第二位鲁陀罗——尼罗鲁陀罗（Nīlarudra）。其处在布胡特伊湿伐罗之北，相距十六弓长（dhanuṣ）。”

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्ष), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla/Anantara (Then/अनन्तर)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; ततः=अनन्तरम् (sequence)

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधि), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

• nīlarudram: Nīlarudra
• nīlarudram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nīla (प्रातिपदिक) + rudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः

• dvitīyakam: the second
• dvitīyakam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvitīyaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘nīlarudram’ इति विशेषणम्

• bhūteśāt: from Bhūteśa (place)
• bhūteśāt: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūteśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (Ablative/अपादान), एकवचन

• uttare: in the northern
• uttare: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘bhāge’ इति विशेषणम्

• bhāge: in the region/part
• bhāge: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• dhanuṣām: of bows (as a measure)
• dhanuṣām: Sambandha (Measure relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhanus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• ṣoḍaśe: at sixteen
• ṣoḍaśe: Parimāṇa (Measure/परिमाण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣoḍaśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘(dhanuṣām) ...’ इति परिमाण-निर्देशः

• sthitam: situated
• sthitam: Kriyā (State/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘nīlarudram’ इति विशेषणम्

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nīlarudra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva (Īśvara) instructs Mahādevī on the next pilgrimage stop: Nīlarudra, located north of Bhūteśvara by sixteen bow-lengths; a sacred map-like scene with two shrines aligned north–south.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
• Nīlarudra
• Bhūteśvara
• Prabhāsa Kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is presented as disciplined, place-based dharma—approaching Rudra through a prescribed sacred route in Prabhāsa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Nīlarudra, the second Rudra shrine in the Prabhāsa Kṣetra Ekādaśa Rudra tradition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The instruction is directional and procedural: one should proceed to the Nīlarudra shrine, located north of Bhūteśvara.