Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 117

Devanagari script

आरभ्यते क्रिया यास्तु पिशाचास्तत्र देवताः । मधुमासदिने दध्ना तिलचूर्णसुरासवैः

Transliteration

ārabhyate kriyā yāstu piśācāstatra devatāḥ | madhumāsadine dadhnā tilacūrṇasurāsavaiḥ

Translation

«Welches Ritual man dort auch beginnt, die Piśācas gelten als die vorstehenden Gottheiten. An einem Tag im Monat Madhu, mit Dickmilch, Sesampulver, Surā (Branntwein) und gegorenem Trank—»

Word by Word

• आरभ्यते: is begun; is undertaken
• आरभ्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + रभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• क्रिया: rite; ritual act
• क्रिया: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रिया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• याः: which (rites)
• याः: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक-विशेषण (relative)

• तु: but; indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषण-अव्यय (particle: ‘but/indeed’)

• पिशाचाः: piśācas (ghouls)
• पिशाचाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिशाच (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• देवताः: deities
• देवताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• मधुमासदिने: on the day in the month of Madhu (spring)
• मधुमासदिने: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधु + मास + दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुषः) = मधुमासस्य दिने

• दध्ना: with curd
• दध्ना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• तिलचूर्णसुरासवैः: with sesame-powder and with liquor/fermented drink
• तिलचूर्णसुरासवैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिल + चूर्ण + सुरा + आसव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; समासः (द्वन्द्वः) = तिलचूर्णैः सुरासवैश्च (समाहार/इतरेतर)

Speaker

Unspecified first-person narrator within Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya (contextual narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (contextual locus of Bhūta-mātā worship)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A coastal shrine north of the sea at Prabhāsa; a rite begins with offerings laid out—curds, sesame powder, liquor and fermented drink—while unseen piśācas are ritually acknowledged as presiding powers under Devī’s command.

Characters & Entities

• Piśāca
• Madhu-māsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma acknowledges graded rites for different forces; proper, context-bound offerings maintain harmony and prevent disturbance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where even specialized rites are situated within the broader sanctity and regulation of the tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A rite in Madhu month involving offerings such as curds, sesame powder, surā (liquor), and āsava (fermented drink), with Piśācas regarded as the presiding powers for that specific context.