Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

महाकालीव्रतं प्रोक्तं देव्या माहात्म्यसंयुतम् । कृतं पातकनाशाय सर्वकामसमृद्धये

Transliteration

mahākālīvrataṃ proktaṃ devyā māhātmyasaṃyutam | kṛtaṃ pātakanāśāya sarvakāmasamṛddhaye

Translation

So ist das Gelübde der Mahākālī verkündet worden, verbunden mit der heiligen Größe der Göttin. Es wird geübt, um Sünden zu vernichten und um Erfüllung und Fülle aller Wünsche zu gewähren.

Word by Word

• mahākālīvratam: the Mahākālī vow
• mahākālīvratam: Karma/Pratipādya (Topic/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + kālī + vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular)

• proktam: declared, stated
• proktam: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra + vac (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, kta); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• devyā: by the देवी
• devyā: Karana (Agent-instrument in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Instrumental, Singular)

• māhātmyasaṃyutam: endowed with (its) greatness
• māhātmyasaṃyutam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: māhātmya + saṃyuta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• kṛtam: done, performed
• kṛtam: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, kta); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• pātakanāśāya: for the destruction of sins
• pātakanāśāya: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātaka + nāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Dative, Singular); प्रयोजनार्थे (for the purpose)

• sarvakāmasamṛddhaye: for the fulfillment/prosperity of all desires
• sarvakāmasamṛddhaye: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva + kāma + samṛddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Dative, Singular); प्रयोजनार्थे (for the purpose)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (deduced from immediate narrative frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahākālī-vrata in Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mahākālī as the vow’s focus: dark-hued Devī with fierce compassion, surrounded by aura of power; devotees performing vrata for sin-destruction and prosperity.

Characters & Entities

• Mahākālī
• Devī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A properly taught vrata, grounded in the Goddess’s māhātmya, purifies wrongdoing and supports righteous fulfillment of life’s aims.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is Prabhāsa Kṣetra, where the Mahākālī observance is praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The performance of the Mahākālī-vrata is prescribed as a means for pāpa-kṣaya (sin-destruction) and sarva-kāma-samṛddhi (attainment of desired prosperity).