Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

कलशानष्टदिग्भागे सहिरण्यान्पृथक्पृथक् । स्थापयित्वा तु शक्तिस्ता वामाद्याः पूर्वतः क्रमात्

Transliteration

kalaśānaṣṭadigbhāge sahiraṇyānpṛthakpṛthak | sthāpayitvā tu śaktistā vāmādyāḥ pūrvataḥ kramāt

Translation

في الجهات الثماني تُوضَع الكَلَشات (أواني الماء الطقسي) كلٌّ على حدة ومزوَّدة بالذهب. وبعد نصبها تُرتَّب تلك الشَّكتيات—ابتداءً بـ«فاما»—على التوالي، بدءًا من الشرق.

Word by Word

• कलशान्: pots (ritual vessels)
• कलशान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन

• अष्ट-दिक्-भागे: in the sector of the eight directions
• अष्ट-दिक्-भागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्ट (संख्या; प्रातिपदिक) + दिक् (प्रातिपदिक) + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; समासः—अष्टानां दिशां भागे (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• स-हिरण्यान्: together with gold
• स-हिरण्यान्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (अव्यय/उपसर्गसदृश) + हिरण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन; समासः—हिरण्येन सह (सह-समास/तत्पुरुष)

• पृथक्: separately
• पृथक्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृथक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• पृथक्: each separately
• पृथक्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृथक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (पुनरुक्ति—emphatic repetition)

• स्थापयित्वा: having placed/installed
• स्थापयित्वा: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्था (धातु) + णिच् (causative)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund) causative; ‘having caused to be placed’

• तु: then/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle; contrast/emphasis)

• शक्तिः: the śakti (spear/energy emblem)
• शक्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• ताः: those (female forms)
• ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• वामा-आद्याः: beginning with Vāmā
• वामा-आद्याः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वामा (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; समासः—वामा आदिः यासां ताः (वामाद्याः)

• पूर्वतः: from the east/eastwards
• पूर्वतः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त), दिशावाचक (from the east/eastwards)

• क्रमात्: in sequence
• क्रमात्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे (adverbially: in order/ क्रमशः)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual pavilion at Prabhāsa: eight gleaming kalaśas set in the eight directions, each marked with gold; the officiant traces a lotus-mandala on the ground while invoking Śaktis in order starting from the east, beginning with Vāmā.

Characters & Entities

• Kalaśa
• Aṣṭa-dik (eight directions)
• Hiraṇya (gold)
• Śakti
• Vāmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Directional consecration acknowledges the divine permeating all quarters; worship is made cosmic by honoring Śiva’s Śaktis across space.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This udyāpana procedure belongs to the Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya’s Somavāra-vrata context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Install separate kalaśas with gold in the eight directions, and arrange the Śaktis—starting with Vāmā—in order beginning from the east.