Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

फाल्गुनान्तचतुर्द्दश्यां सुमहेश्वरसन्निधौ । धर्माण्येतानि सर्वाणि कलां नार्हंति षोडशीम्

Transliteration

phālgunāntacaturddaśyāṃ sumaheśvarasannidhau | dharmāṇyetāni sarvāṇi kalāṃ nārhaṃti ṣoḍaśīm

Translation

On the Caturdaśī at the close of Phālguna, in the presence of Sumaheśvara, all these acts of dharma do not equal even one sixteenth part of its merit.

Word by Word

• फाल्गुनान्तचतुर्दश्याम्: on the Phālguna-month’s ending fourteenth (tithi)
• फाल्गुनान्तचतुर्दश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फाल्गुन-अन्त-चतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; कालाधिकरण (locative of time)

• सुमहेश्वरसन्निधौ: in the presence of Sumaheśvara
• सुमहेश्वरसन्निधौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु-महेश्वर-सन्निधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; देशाधिकरण

• धर्माणि: religious acts/duties
• धर्माणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन

• एतानि: these
• एतानि: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (धर्माणि)

• सर्वाणि: all
• सर्वाणि: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (धर्माणि)

• कलाम्: a fraction/part (kalā)
• कलाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• अर्हन्ति: are worthy of / equal
• अर्हन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• षोडशीम्: the sixteenth (tithi/kalā)
• षोडशीम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षोडशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेष्य (कलाम्) — ‘षोडशी-कलाम्’ implied

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) extolling a specific vrata at a specific shrine (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sumaheśvara (Arbuda-kṣetra)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahārāja (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Before Sumaheśvara’s liṅga, the night of Phālguna-anta Caturdaśī glows with many lamps; pilgrims stand in reverent silence, while a sage proclaims that all other dharmas are but a sixteenth part.

Characters & Entities

• Sumaheśvara
• Phālguna
• Caturdaśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time (tithi) and place (sannidhi of a specific Śiva) can magnify dharma so greatly that other merits become negligible in comparison.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Sumaheśvara’s sacred presence/shrine within the Arbuda-kṣetra tradition of the Arbuda Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observe the Phālguna-anta Caturdaśī in Sumaheśvara’s presence (implying worship/offerings as described in adjacent verses).