Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 61

Devanagari script

आग्नेय्यां हृदयं न्यस्य ऐशान्यां तु शिरो न्यसेत् । नैरृत्यां तु शिखां चैव कवचं वायुगोचरे

Transliteration

āgneyyāṃ hṛdayaṃ nyasya aiśānyāṃ tu śiro nyaset | nairṛtyāṃ tu śikhāṃ caiva kavacaṃ vāyugocare

Translation

Setze das „Herz“-Mantra in den Südosten (Āgneya) und das „Haupt“ in den Nordosten (Aiśānya). In den Südwesten (Nairṛtya) setze die „Śikhā“ (Scheitelzopf) und die „Kavaca“ (Schutzpanzer) in den Bereich des Vāyu, den Nordwesten.

Word by Word

• आग्नेय्याम्: in the southeast (Agni-direction)
• आग्नेय्याम्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आग्नेयी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; दिक्-नाम (direction)

• हृदयम्: heart
• हृदयम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृदय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• न्यस्य: having placed
• न्यस्य: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-आस्/न्यस् (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund, ल्यप्), अव्यय; धातु: न्यस् (नि+अस्/आस्), उपसर्ग: नि

• ऐशान्याम्: in the northeast (Īśāna-direction)
• ऐशान्याम्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऐशानी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; दिक्-नाम (direction)

• तु: and/then
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय

• शिरः: head
• शिरः: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• न्यसेत्: should place
• न्यसेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-न्यस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; उपसर्ग: नि

• नैरृत्याम्: in the southwest (Nirṛti-direction)
• नैरृत्याम्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नैरृती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; दिक्-नाम (direction)

• तु: and/then
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय

• शिखाम्: topknot / crest
• शिखाम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिखा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction), अव्यय

• एव: indeed / also
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle), अव्यय

• कवचम्: armor (protective sheath)
• कवचम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कवच (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• वायुगोचरे: in the region of Vāyu (wind-quarter)
• वायुगोचरे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायुगोचर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: वायोः गोचरः (वायु-सम्बन्धि-स्थान)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa māhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A mandala-like ritual ground marked with directions; the practitioner places mantras into the southeast, northeast, southwest, and northwest quarters, forming a protective circuit around the installed Āditya.

Characters & Entities

• Agni
• Īśāna
• Nirṛti
• Vāyu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred order matters: aligning body-mantras with cosmic directions harmonizes the worshipper with dharmic space.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where ritual correctness is presented as part of the kṣetra’s sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Directional placement (dik-nyāsa) of hṛdaya, śiras, śikhā, and kavaca mantras in specific quarters.