Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

एवं तूर्यनिनादैश्च शंखशब्दैश्च पुष्कलैः । भ्रामयित्वा रथं देवि पुरं सर्वं च दक्षिणम् । स्वस्थाने स्थापयेद्भूयः कृत्वा नीराजनं बुधः

Transliteration

evaṃ tūryaninādaiśca śaṃkhaśabdaiśca puṣkalaiḥ | bhrāmayitvā rathaṃ devi puraṃ sarvaṃ ca dakṣiṇam | svasthāne sthāpayedbhūyaḥ kṛtvā nīrājanaṃ budhaḥ

Translation

So, inmitten reichen Klangs von Instrumenten und kräftiger Muschelstöße, o Göttin, nachdem man den Wagen um die ganze Stadt geführt und in der glückverheißenden Rechtsrichtung gezogen hat, soll der Weise nach vollzogener nīrājana (ārati) ihn wieder an seinem rechten Ort aufstellen.

Word by Word

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner: “thus”)

• tūrya-ninādaiḥ: with the sounds of musical instruments
• tūrya-ninādaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tūrya (प्रातिपदिक) + nināda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः/उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (तूर्यस्य निनादः)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक निपात (conjunction “and”)

• śaṃkha-śabdaiḥ: with conch sounds
• śaṃkha-śabdaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃkha (प्रातिपदिक) + śabda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शंखस्य शब्दः)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक निपात

• puṣkalaiḥ: abundant, copious
• puṣkalaiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṣkala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying the instruments/sounds: abundant)

• bhrāmayitvā: having circled (made go around)
• bhrāmayitvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhram (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); धातुः √भ्रम् (भ्रामयति—णिच् causative sense here), “having caused to go around/ having circled”

• ratham: the chariot
• ratham: Karman (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ratha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• devi: O Goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (vocative), एकवचन

• puram: the city
• puram: Karman (Object/goal of circling)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• sarvam: entire
• sarvam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying puram)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक निपात

• dakṣiṇam: to the right (clockwise)
• dakṣiṇam: Diśā/Adhikaraṇa (Directional adjunct)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dakṣiṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्/क्रियाविशेषणार्थे (to the right/southward; qualifying the direction of circling)

• sva-sthāne: in its own place
• sva-sthāne: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + sthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (स्वं स्थानम्)

• sthāpayet: should place/restore
• sthāpayet: Vidhi-kriyā (Injunctive action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: लोट्/विधिलिङ् (optative/should); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; धातुः √स्था (णिच् causative: स्थापयति)

• bhūyaḥ: again
• bhūyaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhūyas (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरर्थक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: again)

• kṛtvā: having performed
• kṛtvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); धातुः √कृ, “having done”

• nīrājanam: the ārati/ceremonial waving of lights
• nīrājanam: Karman (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nīrājana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• budhaḥ: a wise man
• budhaḥ: Kartā (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: budha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified (contextual narrator addressing Devī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsakṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grand chariot rolls through the city streets; conch-blowers and musicians lead; crowds shower flowers; the route curves in a rightward circumambulation; at the end, the priest performs bright nīrājana before reinstalling the deity.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Chariot (Ratha)
• Conch (Śaṅkha)
• Nīrājana (Ārati)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Public devotion (utsava) becomes sanctifying when guided by orderly ritual—procession, rightward circumambulation, and concluding ārati.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra and its sacred city-circumambulating festival traditions.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Circumambulate with music and conches, proceed in the rightward auspicious manner, then reinstall the chariot and perform nīrājana.