Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

शिरस्तु पूजयेद्देवि आयुष्यं वर्चसेति वै । गायत्र्या तु शिखां पूज्य नैरृत्यां तु व्यवस्थिताम्

Transliteration

śirastu pūjayeddevi āyuṣyaṃ varcaseti vai | gāyatryā tu śikhāṃ pūjya nairṛtyāṃ tu vyavasthitām

Translation

يا إلهة، تُعبَدُ الرأسُ بالمانترا «āyuṣyaṃ varcase» طلبًا لطول العمر والبهاء؛ وبـ«غاياتري» تُكرَّمُ الشِّخا (Śikhā) القائمة في جهة الجنوب الغربي (نيررتيا).

Word by Word

• शिरः: the head
• शिरः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• तु: and/then
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis/contrast)

• पूजयेत्: should worship
• पूजयेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पूज् (धातु; पूजायाम्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• देवि: O Goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• आयुष्यम्: (the word/mantra) ‘āyuṣya’ (life-giving)
• आयुष्यम्: Karma (Object/uttered formula)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म/उच्चारण-विषय), एकवचन

• वर्चसे: for radiance/splendour
• वर्चसे: Sampradana (Purpose/recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्चस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान/अर्थ), एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-समाप्ति-निपात

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis/assurance)

• गायत्र्या: with (the mantra) Gāyatrī
• गायत्र्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गायत्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• तु: and/then
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात

• शिखाम्: the topknot/crest (śikhā)
• शिखाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिखा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• पूज्य: having worshipped
• पूज्य: Kriya (Gerundial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पूज् (धातु; पूजायाम्)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund), ‘having worshipped’

• नैरृत्याम्: in the south-west (nairṛta)
• नैरृत्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नैरृत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• तु: and/then
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात

• व्यवस्थिताम्: situated/placed
• व्यवस्थिताम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-अव-√स्था (धातु; स्थितौ) + क्त (प्रातिपदिक: व्यवस्थित)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa māhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Addressed as ‘devi’ (female interlocutor)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The worshipper offers to the head region with a mantra for longevity and radiance; then, facing the southwest quarter, empowers the śikhā with Gāyatrī, as Āditya’s light crowns the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Gāyatrī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity of mind and life-force is sought through mantra—longevity and radiance are treated as dharmic fruits of disciplined worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where such mantra-worship is presented as especially efficacious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Head worship with the phrase ‘āyuṣyaṃ varcase’ and śikhā worship using the Gāyatrī, aligned to the southwest placement.