Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

स्नापयेत्पयसा पूर्वं दध्ना घृतयुतेन च । मधुनेक्षुरसेनैव कुंकुमेन विलेपयेत्

Transliteration

snāpayetpayasā pūrvaṃ dadhnā ghṛtayutena ca | madhunekṣurasenaiva kuṃkumena vilepayet

Translation

أولًا يُجرى سكبُ الطقوس (أبهيشيكا) على اللِّينغا باللبن؛ ثم باللبن الرائب الممزوج بالسمن (غي)؛ ومع العسل وعصير قصب السكر أيضًا يُطلى بالزعفران (كِسَر) تقرّبًا.

Word by Word

• स्नापयेत्: should bathe (it)
• स्नापयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु) [णिच्]
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — ‘should bathe/should cause to be bathed’

• पयसा: with milk
• पयसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — Instrumental singular

• पूर्वं: first, beforehand
• पूर्वं: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण) — temporal adverb

• दध्ना: with curd/yogurt
• दध्ना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — Instrumental singular

• घृतयुतेन: mixed with ghee
• घृतयुतेन: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घृत + युत (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — Instrumental singular; दध्ना (instrument) qualifies: ‘mixed with ghee’

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक) — conjunction

• मधुना: with honey
• मधुना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — Instrumental singular

• इक्षुरसेन: with sugarcane-juice
• इक्षुरसेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इक्षु + रस (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — Instrumental singular

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Avadharana (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अवधारण) — emphatic particle

• कुङ्कुमेन: with saffron/vermilion
• कुङ्कुमेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुङ्कुम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — Instrumental singular

• विलेपयेत्: should anoint (it)
• विलेपयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लिप् (धातु) [वि-] [णिच्]
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — ‘should anoint/smear’

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara) (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Caṇḍeśvara-liṅga (Prabhāsa)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Priest/devotee performs abhiṣeka to a black stone liṅga: streams of milk, then curd mixed with ghee, then honey and sugarcane juice; finally saffron paste is applied, with lamps and flowers around.

Characters & Entities

• Caṇḍeśvara Liṅga (implied)
• Abhiṣeka
• Milk
• Curd
• Ghee
• Honey
• Sugarcane juice
• Kuṅkuma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion is expressed through orderly, pure offerings; ritual care (vidhi) becomes a form of reverence that sanctifies the pilgrim.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Caṇḍeśvara shrine within Prabhāsa-kṣetra, as part of the Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya pilgrimage circuit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Abhiṣeka sequence: milk first, then curd with ghee, then honey and sugarcane juice; followed by anointment with kuṅkuma.