Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 88

Devanagari script

सूर्योपरागे संप्राप्ते रविकूपे समाहितः । स्नानं यः कुरुते पार्थ होमं कुर्यात्प्रयत्नतः

Transliteration

sūryoparāge saṃprāpte ravikūpe samāhitaḥ | snānaṃ yaḥ kurute pārtha homaṃ kuryātprayatnataḥ

Translation

إذا حلَّ كسوفُ الشمس، يا بارثا، فمن استجمع قلبه عند رَفِيكُوبَة وأدّى الاغتسال الطقسي، فليجتهد كذلك في إقامة الهُوما، قربان النار.

Word by Word

• सूर्य-उपरागे: during the solar eclipse
• सूर्य-उपरागे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक) + उपराग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: सूर्यस्य उपरागः)

• संप्राप्ते: when (it is) arrived/occurred
• संप्राप्ते: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्+प्राप् (धातु) → संप्राप्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (सूर्योपरागे)

• रवि-कूपे: in the Ravi-well (Ravikūpa)
• रवि-कूपे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रवि (प्रातिपदिक) + कूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: रवेः कूपः)

• समाहितः: composed, concentrated
• समाहितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्+आ+धा (धातु) → समाहित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्तृविशेषण

• स्नानम्: bath
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्म

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम

• कुरुते: does, performs
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• पार्थ: O Pārtha (Arjuna)
• पार्थ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• होमम्: fire-offering, oblation
• होमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: होम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म

• कुर्यात्: should perform
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• प्रयत्नतः: with effort, diligently
• प्रयत्नतः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त), क्रियाविशेषण

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ravikūpa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Arjuna (addressed as Pārtha)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solar eclipse darkens the sky; pilgrims with folded hands descend steps into a stone-lined sacred well (Ravikūpa). Nearby, a small homa-kuṇḍa burns with ghee-offerings as a priest chants; the bather emerges dripping, mind composed.

Characters & Entities

• Ravikūpa
• Sūryoparāga (solar eclipse)
• Jayāditya
• Pārtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Extraordinary cosmic moments (eclipses) are treated as heightened windows for purification and sacrificial dedication.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

Ravikūpa is named as the focused place for eclipse-time practice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

During a solar eclipse: snāna at Ravikūpa with concentration, and performance of homa with diligence.