Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 71

Devanagari script

केतुं कृण्वेति केतुं वै सततं पूजयेद्बुधः । बाह्यतः पूर्वतः शुक्रं दक्षिणेन यमं तथा

Transliteration

ketuṃ kṛṇveti ketuṃ vai satataṃ pūjayedbudhaḥ | bāhyataḥ pūrvataḥ śukraṃ dakṣiṇena yamaṃ tathā

Translation

Mit dem Mantra «ketuṃ kṛṇv…» soll der Weise Ketu unablässig verehren. Auf der äußeren Seite liegt im Osten Śukra (Venus), und ebenso im Süden Yama.

Word by Word

• केतुम्: Ketu
• केतुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• कृण्व: “do/make” (in the mantra)
• कृण्व: Sambandha (Mantra-quotation element/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; वैदिक-रूप (कृणु/कृण्व)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण-चिह्न (thus)

• केतुम्: Ketu
• केतुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic particle: indeed)

• सततम्: constantly
• सततम्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सतत (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: अव्ययवत् क्रियाविशेषण (continually)

• पूजयेत्: should worship
• पूजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• बुधः: Budha (Mercury)
• बुधः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• बाह्यतः: from the outside
• बाह्यतः: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बाह्यतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त क्रियाविशेषण (ablatival adverb: from outside/externally)

• पूर्वतः: on the eastern side
• पूर्वतः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्वतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (from the east / on the eastern side)

• शुक्रम्: Śukra (Venus)
• शुक्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• दक्षिणेन: on the southern side
• दक्षिणेन: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; दिशावाचक-प्रयोगः (to the south/by the southern side)

• यमम्: Yama
• यमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ग्रह/देवता-नाम (Yama)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/समुच्चय (so/likewise)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced from Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual diagram comes alive: Ketu is invoked as a comet-like banner in the sky; to the east stands Śukra radiant; to the south, Yama stern—forming a directional ring around a Prabhāsa shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Ketu
• Śukra (Venus)
• Yama

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Wisdom expresses itself as ordered worship—honoring grahas and guardians according to mantra and direction, aligning the devotee with dharma and cosmic order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, presented as a ritually mapped sacred space where directions and deities are meaningfully arranged.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Continuous pūjā of Ketu with the specified mantra, alongside awareness of directional placements (east: Śukra; south: Yama) in the worship setting.