Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

अश्वयुक्छुक्लाष्टम्यां च त्रिः कृत्वा तु प्रदक्षिणाम् । सोमेशं मध्यतः कृत्वा संस्नाप्याभ्यर्च्य मां पृथक् । तस्य वर्षत्रयं राजन्न भीः शोको भविष्यति

Transliteration

aśvayukchuklāṣṭamyāṃ ca triḥ kṛtvā tu pradakṣiṇām | someśaṃ madhyataḥ kṛtvā saṃsnāpyābhyarcya māṃ pṛthak | tasya varṣatrayaṃ rājanna bhīḥ śoko bhaviṣyati

Translation

Am hellen achten Tag des Monats Āśvayuja, nachdem man dreimal die Pradakṣiṇā vollzogen hat—Someśvara in die Mitte gestellt—und dann die Gottheit gebadet, verehrt und geopfert sowie mich auch gesondert angebetet hat, o König, wird es für ihn in den folgenden drei Jahren weder Furcht noch Kummer geben.

Word by Word

• aśvayuk-śukla-aṣṭamyām: on the bright eighth of Aśvayuj (month)
• aśvayuk-śukla-aṣṭamyām: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśvayuk (प्रातिपदिक) + śukla (प्रातिपदिक) + aṣṭamī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (अश्वयुजि शुक्लपक्षे अष्टमी), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन — Tatpurusha, Feminine, Locative, Singular

• ca: and
• ca: Nipāta (Conjunction/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय — Conjunction

• triḥ: thrice
• triḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: triḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, संख्यावाचक क्रियाविशेषण — Numeral adverb

• kṛtvā: having done
• kṛtvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ) (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययकृदन्त), पूर्वकाल — Gerund/absolutive (having done)

• tu: indeed, then
• tu: Nipāta (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधान/विरोध — Particle (emphasis/contrast)

• pradakṣiṇām: circumambulation
• pradakṣiṇām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pradakṣiṇā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन — Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• someśam: Someśa (a form of Śiva)
• someśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: someśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• madhyataḥ: in the middle
• madhyataḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: madhya (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तस्) (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक (तस्-प्रत्ययान्त) — Indeclinable adverb of place

• kṛtvā: having placed/made
• kṛtvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ) (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययकृदन्त), पूर्वकाल — Gerund/absolutive

• saṃsnāpya: having bathed/abluted
• saṃsnāpya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (स्ना) (धातु) with saṃ- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: णिच्-प्रेरण (causative) + क्त्वान्त (अव्ययकृदन्त) — Causative gerund: ‘having bathed (him)/having performed ablution’

• abhyarcya: having worshipped
• abhyarcya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arc (अर्च्) (धातु) with abhi- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययकृदन्त) — Gerund/absolutive (having worshipped)

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद्) (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया (2), एकवचन — Accusative, Singular

• pṛthak: separately
• pṛthak: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pṛthak (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकार/भेदवाचक — Indeclinable adverb (separately)

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), एकवचन — Genitive, Singular

• varṣa-trayam: three years
• varṣa-trayam: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Duration/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + traya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास (त्रीणि वर्षाणि), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन — Dvigu, Neuter, Accusative, Singular (duration)

• rājan: O king
• rājan: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• na: no/not
• na: Nipāta (Negation/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध — Negative particle

• bhīḥ: fear
• bhīḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• śokaḥ: grief
• śokaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śoka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• bhaviṣyati: will be
• bhaviṣyati: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (भू) (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्काल), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Simple future, 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

Devī (implied, continuing instruction to the king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Someśvara in Prabhāsakṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājā (addressed ‘rājann’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bright Aṣṭamī: pilgrims circle Someśvara thrice; priests perform abhiṣeka; the devotee then offers separate worship to the addressed deity; the king listens as assurance of three-year fearlessness is proclaimed.

Characters & Entities

• Someśvara
• Devī
• Prabhāsakṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual devotion performed at a sacred center (Someśvara at Prabhāsa) removes fear and sorrow, showing the protective power of tīrtha-upāsanā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, with Someśvara as the central Śaiva shrine within the sacred geography of Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

On Āśvayuja Śukla Aṣṭamī: perform three pradakṣiṇās, abhiṣeka (bathing), and worship of Someśvara, along with separate worship of the Devī.