Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणान्भोजयित्वाग्रे शांडिलेयं प्रपूज्य च । आरोपयेद्रथे देवं पुण्यवादित्रनिःस्वनैः

Transliteration

brāhmaṇānbhojayitvāgre śāṃḍileyaṃ prapūjya ca | āropayedrathe devaṃ puṇyavāditraniḥsvanaiḥ

Translation

Zuerst, nachdem man die Brāhmaṇas gespeist und Śāṇḍileya gebührend verehrt hat, soll man dann den Herrn auf den Wagen setzen, umtönt vom glückverheißenden Klang heiliger Instrumente.

Word by Word

• ब्राह्मणान्: Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), बहुवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• भोजयित्वा: having fed
• भोजयित्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Absolutive/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भोजय् (धातु; √भुज् causative)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), परस्मैपदी-प्रयोग — having caused to eat/fed

• अग्रे: first; in front
• अग्रे: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (देश/कालवाचक) — indeclinable adverb ‘first/in front’

• शांडिलेयम्: Śāṇḍileya (a sage/person)
• शांडिलेयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाण्डिलेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• प्रपूज्य: having worshipped
• प्रपूज्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Absolutive/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-पूज् (धातु; √पूज्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund) — having duly worshipped

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• आरोपयेत्: should place/should mount (set)
• आरोपयेत्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-रुह् (धातु; √रुह् causative ‘आरोपय’)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Optative, 3rd person, Singular

• रथे: on the chariot
• रथे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Locative, Singular

• देवम्: the deity
• देवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• पुण्य: auspicious
• पुण्य: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक; समासपूर्वपद (in compound) — adjectival stem ‘auspicious/meritorious’

• वादित्र: musical instruments
• वादित्र: Viśeṣya (Head within compound)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वादित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिक; समासपूर्वपद (in compound) — ‘musical instrument(s)’

• निःस्वनैः: with the sounds of auspicious instruments
• निःस्वनैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य-वादित्र-निःस्वन (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Instrumental, Plural; समासः षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-आश्रित तत्पुरुषः (पुण्यः वादित्राणां निःस्वनः)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Somnātha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Before the chariot is set in motion, rows of brāhmaṇas are fed; Śāṇḍileya is honored with offerings and respectful gestures; then priests lift and seat the deity onto the decorated ratha as auspicious instruments resound.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas
• Śāṇḍileya
• Ratha (chariot)
• Prabhāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual merit is grounded in dharma: honoring brāhmaṇas and sages precedes and sanctifies public worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, via its prescribed festival rites for the deity’s chariot procession.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Brāhmaṇa-feeding, worship of Śāṇḍileya, and then installing the deity on the ratha with auspicious instrumental music.