Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

प्राकारकर्ण उवाच । श्रृणु भद्र यथा दीर्घमायुर्मेशिवपूजनात् । जुगुप्सितमुलूकत्वं शापेन च महामुनेः

Transliteration

prākārakarṇa uvāca | śrṛṇu bhadra yathā dīrghamāyurmeśivapūjanāt | jugupsitamulūkatvaṃ śāpena ca mahāmuneḥ

Translation

Prākārakarṇa said: “Listen, O good one—how I gained long life through the worship of Śiva, and how this loathsome state of being an owl came about through the curse of a great sage.”

Word by Word

• prākārakarṇaḥ: Prākārakarṇa (proper name)
• prākārakarṇaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prākāra (प्रातिपदिक) + karṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—“प्राकार इव कर्णौ यस्य” (name)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• śṛṇu: listen
• śṛṇu: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• bhadra: O good one
• bhadra: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhadra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/संबोधन), एकवचन

• yathā: how / in what way
• yathā: Sambandha (Connector/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार/उपपत्ति-वाचक-अव्यय (as/how; introducing explanation)

• dīrgham: long
• dīrgham: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dīrgha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; (आयुः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• āyuḥ: lifespan
• āyuḥ: Karta/Viṣaya (Topic/कर्ता/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āyus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• me: my
• me: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• śiva-pūjanāt: from worship of Śiva
• śiva-pūjanāt: Apādāna/Hetu (Source/Cause/अपादान/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + pūjana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—“शिवस्य पूजनम्”; अपादानार्थे (from/because of)

• jugupsitam: despised
• jugupsitam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gup (धातु) → jugupsita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; (उलूकत्वम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• ulūkatvam: being an owl
• ulūkatvam: Karta/Viṣaya (Topic/कर्ता/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ulūka (प्रातिपदिक) + -tva (तद्धित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; भाववाचक-तद्धितान्त

• śāpena: by a curse
• śāpena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• mahā-muneḥ: of a great sage
• mahā-muneḥ: Sambandha (Agent of curse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—“महान् मुनिः”

Speaker

Prākārakarṇa

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: the king (unnamed in these verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Prākārakarṇa begins his confession: long life from Śiva worship, owlhood from a sage’s curse—two forces visually contrasted (light of worship vs shadow of curse).

Characters & Entities

• Prākārakarṇa
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva-bhakti grants auspicious fruit like longevity, while disrespect toward sages can bring harsh consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is specified in this verse; it highlights Śiva-pūjā as the source of merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship of Śiva (Śiva-pūjana) is explicitly stated as the means to obtain long life.