Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 96

Devanagari script

सहस्रशीर्षा पुरुषः सूर्यं शिरसि पूजयेत् । शंभवायेति मंत्रेण रवेर्नेत्रे परामृशेत्

Transliteration

sahasraśīrṣā puruṣaḥ sūryaṃ śirasi pūjayet | śaṃbhavāyeti maṃtreṇa ravernetre parāmṛśet

Translation

Mit dem (Puruṣa-sūkta-)Mantra „sahasraśīrṣā puruṣaḥ…“ soll man Sūrya am Haupt verehren; und mit dem Mantra „śaṃbhavāya…“ soll man ehrfürchtig die Augen Ravis berühren.

Word by Word

• sahasra-śīrṣā: thousand-headed
• sahasra-śīrṣā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक) + śīrṣan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Case 1), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि: ‘having a thousand heads’—विशेषणं पुरुषः प्रति

• puruṣaḥ: the Puruṣa (Cosmic Person)
• puruṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Case 1), एकवचन

• sūryam: the Sun
• sūryam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūrya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Case 2), एकवचन

• śirasi: on the head
• śirasi: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Case 7), एकवचन

• pūjayet: should worship
• pūjayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pūj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• śaṃbhavāya: “for Śaṃbhava”
• śaṃbhavāya: Sambandha (Quotation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (Case 4), एकवचन; मन्त्र-उद्धरण (dative in mantra)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/उद्धरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-चिह्न (quotative particle)

• mantreṇa: with (the) mantra
• mantreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Case 3), एकवचन

• raveḥ: of the Sun (Ravi)
• raveḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ravi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Case 6), एकवचन

• netre: in the eye
• netre: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: netra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Case 7), एकवचन (द्विवचनरूपेण अपि सम्भवति; अत्र ‘in the eye’ अर्थे)

• parāmṛśet: should touch; should gently rub
• parāmṛśet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: para-ā-√mṛś (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ritual-inquirer within Prabhāsa māhātmya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant Sūrya icon is worshipped through anga-pūjā: the devotee raises hands to the head region in reverence while chanting Puruṣa-sūkta, then gently gestures toward the eyes, emphasizing sacred sight; the aura fills the shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya
• Ravi
• Puruṣa-sūkta
• Śaṃbhava
• Prabhāsakṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The cosmic Puruṣa is recognized in the visible sun—Vedic vision is integrated into local tīrtha worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where Sūrya is worshipped with Vedic mantras as part of the kṣetra’s mahātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worshipping Sūrya’s head with the Puruṣa-sūkta opening mantra and touching the eyes with the “śaṃbhavāya…” mantra.