Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 201

Devanagari script

अष्टाधिकशतैः कार्या फलैस्तस्याः प्रदक्षिणा । प्रदक्षिणीकृत्य नगं भोक्तव्यं तु फलं नरैः

Transliteration

aṣṭādhikaśataiḥ kāryā phalaistasyāḥ pradakṣiṇā | pradakṣiṇīkṛtya nagaṃ bhoktavyaṃ tu phalaṃ naraiḥ

Translation

Ihre Pradakṣiṇā soll mit einhundertacht Früchten vollzogen werden. Nachdem man so den heiligen Baum umrundet hat, sollen die Menschen danach die Frucht zu sich nehmen.

Word by Word

• अष्टाधिकशतैः: with (a total of) one hundred and eight
• अष्टाधिकशतैः: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्ट (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + अधिक (प्रातिपदिक) + शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (अष्ट + अधिक + शत = ‘one hundred and eight’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (to फलैः)

• कार्या: should be performed
• कार्या: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + यत् (कृत्) → कार्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (to be done)

• फलैः: with fruits
• फलैः: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• तस्याः: of her (Śivā)
• तस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रदक्षिणा: circumambulation
• प्रदक्षिणा: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रदक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रदक्षिणीकृत्य: having circumambulated
• प्रदक्षिणीकृत्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र + दक्षिणी + कृ (धातु) + क्त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय) → प्रदक्षिणीकृत्य (अव्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund): ‘having circumambulated’

• नगम्: the mountain
• नगम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भोक्तव्यम्: should be eaten
• भोक्तव्यम्: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भुज् (धातु) + तव्यत् (कृत्) → भोक्तव्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तव्यत्-प्रत्यय (gerundive: ‘to be eaten’)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण/विरोधार्थक-अव्यय (particle: ‘but/indeed’)

• फलम्: fruit
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नरैः: by people
• नरैः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्तृ-करण (agent in passive)

Speaker

Sārasvata (narrator/ṛṣi)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha sacred tree (naga/nagaḥ)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devotees circle a venerable sacred tree, each holding fruits; the count reaches 108, then the fruits are shared as blessed food.

Characters & Entities

• Vastrāpatha-kṣetra
• Prabhāsa
• naga (sacred tree)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion becomes complete when worship is joined with disciplined ritual—offering, circumambulation, and reverent reception of prasāda.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpatha-kṣetra within the Prabhāsa region, presented as a merit-bestowing sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform pradakṣiṇā using 108 fruits, then partake of the fruit as sanctified prasāda.