Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

अष्टम्यां च चतुर्दश्यां तद्दध्ना स्नापयेद्यदि । स ब्राह्मणश्चतुर्वेदो जायते नात्र संशयः

Transliteration

aṣṭamyāṃ ca caturdaśyāṃ taddadhnā snāpayedyadi | sa brāhmaṇaścaturvedo jāyate nātra saṃśayaḥ

Translation

إنْ في اليومِ الثامنِ واليومِ الرابعِ عشرَ من الشهرِ القمريّ غُسِّلَ (اللِّينغا) بذلك اللَّبَنِ المُخثَّر، وُلِدَ المرءُ براهمنًا عارفًا بالڤيداتِ الأربع—لا ريبَ في ذلك.

Word by Word

• aṣṭamyām: on the eighth (tithi)
• aṣṭamyām: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṣṭamī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• caturdaśyām: on the fourteenth (tithi)
• caturdaśyām: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caturdaśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• tat: that
• tat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (dadhnaḥ इत्यस्य निर्देशः)

• dadhna: with curd
• dadhna: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dadhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• snāpayet: should cause (someone) to bathe
• snāpayet: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (धातु) + ṇic (प्रेरण)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; णिजन्त (causative)

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Condition marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्त-अव्यय (conditional particle)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• brāhmaṇaḥ: a brāhmaṇa
• brāhmaṇaḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• caturvedaḥ: knower of the four Vedas / four-Vedic
• caturvedaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + veda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (संख्यापूर्वपद: ‘चार वेद’)

• jāyate: is born / becomes
• jāyate: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• atra: here / in this matter
• atra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• saṃśayaḥ: doubt
• saṃśayaḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃśaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Unknown (instructional māhātmya voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Varuṇeśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Varānane / surasundarī (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A priest or devotee pours thick white curd over the liṅga on a night marked by the moon’s phase; lamps flicker, and a lunar calendar motif indicates aṣṭamī and caturdaśī.

Characters & Entities

• Varuṇeśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual devotion performed at a praised kṣetra, aligned with sacred tithis, is said to yield profound dhārmic merit and refinement of birth and learning.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Varuṇeśvara-liṅga worship in Prabhāsa Kṣetra, within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Abhiṣeka/snāpana of the liṅga with curd (dadhi) on Aṣṭamī and Caturdaśī tithis.