Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

गंधपुष्पोपहारैश्च पौर्णमास्यां तु योऽर्चयेत् । ब्राह्मण्यं जायते तस्य सप्त जन्मानि सुंदरि

Transliteration

gaṃdhapuṣpopahāraiśca paurṇamāsyāṃ tu yo'rcayet | brāhmaṇyaṃ jāyate tasya sapta janmāni suṃdari

Translation

O fair one, whoever worships (there) on the full-moon day with offerings of fragrance and flowers gains the state and merits of brāhmaṇahood for seven births.

Word by Word

• गन्ध: fragrance
• गन्ध: Compound member (समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-रूप (समासाङ्ग)

• पुष्प: flowers
• पुष्प: Compound member (समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-रूप (समासाङ्ग)

• उपहारैः: with offerings of fragrance and flowers
• उपहारैः: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपहार (प्रातिपदिक) [समासः: गन्ध+पुष्प+उपहार]
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (fragrance, flowers, and offerings)

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• पौर्णमास्याम्: on the full-moon day
• पौर्णमास्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पौर्णमासी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• तु: indeed
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-यः

• अर्चयेत्: should worship
• अर्चयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• ब्राह्मण्यम्: brahminhood / brahmin status
• ब्राह्मण्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• जायते: arises/is obtained
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• तस्य: for him/of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• सप्त: seven
• सप्त: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-शब्द)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्या-विशेषण; (indeclinable numeral used adjectivally)

• जन्मानि: births (lifetimes)
• जन्मानि: Adhikarana/Extent (Duration/परिमाण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd), बहुवचन

• सुन्दरि: O beautiful one
• सुन्दरि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुन्दरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (deduced from adjoining context in this prasaṅga)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (specific liṅga context continuing from 154.1–3)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pūrṇimā night worship at the liṅga: devotees offer sandal paste and flowers; the moon is full; a subtle vision of seven successive births shown as a garland of seven lamps or seven lotuses symbolizing ‘saptajanma brāhmaṇya’.

Characters & Entities

• Paurṇamāsī
• Brāhmaṇya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Simple devotional worship—when performed at the right sacred time—cultivates refined virtues (brāhmaṇya) that carry forward across lives.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra in the Brahmakuṇḍa/Gāyatrīśvara Māhātmya context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

On the full-moon day, perform arcana (worship) with gandha (fragrance) and puṣpa (flowers).