Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

आकाशवाण्युवाच । माघमासे चतुर्द्दश्यां योऽत्र मां वीक्षयिष्यति । कृष्णायां ब्राह्मणश्रेष्ठ स यास्यति परां गतिम्

Transliteration

ākāśavāṇyuvāca | māghamāse caturddaśyāṃ yo'tra māṃ vīkṣayiṣyati | kṛṣṇāyāṃ brāhmaṇaśreṣṭha sa yāsyati parāṃ gatim

Translation

Die Himmelsstimme sprach: „Im Monat Māgha, am vierzehnten Mondtag der dunklen Monatshälfte, wer mich hier erblickt—o Bester der Brāhmaṇas—wird den höchsten Zustand erlangen.“

Word by Word

• आकाशवाणी: the heavenly voice
• आकाशवाणी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आकाश (प्रातिपदिक) + वाणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (आकाशस्य वाणी), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; nominative singular

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; 3rd person singular perfect

• माघमासे: in the month of Māgha
• माघमासे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माघ (प्रातिपदिक) + मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (माघस्य मासे), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; locative singular

• चतुर्दश्याम्: on the fourteenth lunar day
• चतुर्दश्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; locative singular

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

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक (adverb of place)

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; accusative singular

• वीक्षयिष्यति: will behold
• वीक्षयिष्यति: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-√ईक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (भविष्यत्/future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; 3rd person singular

• कृष्णायाम्: in the dark fortnight
• कृष्णायाम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्णा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; locative singular (in the dark fortnight)

• ब्राह्मणश्रेष्ठ: O best of Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (ब्राह्मणानां श्रेष्ठः), पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; vocative singular

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; correlative pronoun nominative singular

• यास्यति: will go
• यास्यति: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √या (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (भविष्यत्/future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; 3rd person singular

• पराम्: supreme
• पराम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; adjective agreeing with गतिम्

• गतिम्: state/goal
• गतिम्: Gati/Karma (Destination/गति)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; accusative singular (goal)

Speaker

Akāśavāṇī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇa-śreṣṭha (addressed) and the assembly (including the king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A disembodied celestial voice resounds over the hermitage; sages and a king listen in awe; the night-sky suggests Māgha’s crisp season and the dark fortnight’s caturdaśī moon.

Characters & Entities

• Akāśavāṇī
• Māgha māsa
• Kṛṣṇa pakṣa caturdaśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred time (tithi and month) intensifies the fruit of devotion; timely darśana leads to the highest good.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘here’ refers to the Mahāliṅga/Gautamāśrama locale where the divine presence is to be beheld.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform darśana on Māgha month, kṛṣṇa-pakṣa caturdaśī (14th tithi of the dark fortnight).