Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

माघे मासि जिताहारस्त्रिकालं योऽर्चयेत्ततः । नारदेशं भैरवं स स्वर्गरामामनोहरः

Transliteration

māghe māsi jitāhārastrikālaṃ yo'rcayettataḥ | nāradeśaṃ bhairavaṃ sa svargarāmāmanoharaḥ

Translation

Im Monat Māgha wird, wer seine Nahrung zügelt und dort dreimal am Tage verehrt—wer Nāradeśa Bhairava anbetet, im Himmel wonnig und den Apsarās lieblich erscheinen.

Word by Word

• माघे: in (the month of) Māgha
• माघे: Adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माघ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• मासि: in the month
• मासि: Adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• जिताहारः: having controlled diet
• जिताहारः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जित (√जि; कृदन्त-भूतकृदन्त/क्त) + आहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-समासः: जितः आहारः यस्य = 'one whose diet is controlled'

• त्रिकालम्: three times (a day)
• त्रिकालम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि (संख्या) + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (त्रयः कालाः)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• अर्चयेत्: should worship
• अर्चयेत्: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु; √अर्च्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ततः: thereafter
• ततः: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: thereafter/from there)

• नारदेशम्: Nāradeśa (a form/name of Bhairava)
• नारदेशम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: नारदस्य ईशः = 'Lord of Nārada' (name of Bhairava)

• भैरवम्: Bhairava
• भैरवम्: Karma (Object/apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भैरव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

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

• स्वर्गरामामनोहरः: delightful to the heavenly maidens
• स्वर्गरामामनोहरः: Karta (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + राम (प्रातिपदिक) + मनोहर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः: स्वर्गे रामाः (अप्सरसः) तासाम् मनोहरः = 'charming to the heavenly maidens'

Speaker

Narrator addressing Devī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāradeśa Bhairava (Nāradeśvara Bhairava) at Prabhāsa

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In Māgha’s cool clarity, a devotee with restrained diet performs three daily worship sessions at the Bhairava shrine—morning sunlight, noon brilliance, evening lamp-glow—culminating in a vision of svarga where the devotee appears radiant and attractive among apsarās.

Characters & Entities

• Māgha (month)
• Nāradeśa Bhairava
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra
• Svarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Vrata means disciplined life plus devotion; time-bound worship done with restraint yields powerful fruit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The worship is to be done ‘there’ at Prabhāsa-kṣetra, centered on Nāradeśa Bhairava.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

In Māgha: dietary restraint (jitāhāra) and trikāla-arcana (worship three times daily) of Nāradeśa Bhairava.