Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

भैरवं पूजयामास दिव्याब्दानां शतं प्रिये । ततो निष्कल्मषो भूत्वा गीतज्ञश्चाभवत्तथा

Transliteration

bhairavaṃ pūjayāmāsa divyābdānāṃ śataṃ priye | tato niṣkalmaṣo bhūtvā gītajñaścābhavattathā

Translation

“O beloved, he worshipped Bhairava for a hundred divine years. Thereupon he became free from impurity—and likewise became a true knower of song and music.”

Word by Word

• भैरवम्: Bhairava
• भैरवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भैरव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• पूजयामास: worshipped
• पूजयामास: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; परिप्रयोगः—‘आमास’ सह (periphrastic perfect sense)

• दिव्याब्दानाम्: of divine years
• दिव्याब्दानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक) + अब्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (दिव्याः अब्दाः)

• शतम्: a hundred
• शतम्: Karma (Extent/परिमाण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; परिमाणवाचक

• प्रिये: O dear one
• प्रिये: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन; ‘O beloved’

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रम/हेतुवाचक-अव्यय (then/thereupon)

• निष्कल्मषः: sinless, purified
• निष्कल्मषः: Kartṛ-visheshana (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निः (उपसर्ग/निपात) + कल्मष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; ‘free from impurity/sin’

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); ‘having become’

• गीतज्ञः: skilled in song/music
• गीतज्ञः: Kartṛ-visheshana (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गीत (प्रातिपदिक) + ज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (गीते ज्ञः = skilled in song/music)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• अभवत्: became
• अभवत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: thus/so)

Speaker

Narrator addressing Devī (implied by 'priye')

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāradeśvara Bhairava (contextual; named next verse) at Prabhāsa

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devoted sādhaka performs Bhairava-pūjā over vast time—lamp flames steady, offerings arranged, the Bhairava emblem/linga radiant; the devotee’s aura brightens as impurity falls away, and musical motifs (vīṇā, notes) appear as symbols of attained gīta-jñāna.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Bhairava
• Devī
• Brahmakuṇḍa
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sustained devotion purifies wrongdoing and converts mere technique into enlightened, responsible mastery.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, in connection with Brahmakuṇḍa and the worship of Bhairava.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Long-term pūjā of Bhairava (here described as lasting ‘a hundred divine years’) as a model of intense prāyaścitta and sādhana.