Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 202
स्थानं शाश्वतमोजसां गतिरपां दीपो दिशामक्षयः सिद्धेर्द्वारमपावभेदि जगतां साधारणं लोचनम् । हैमं पुष्करमंतरिक्षसरसो दीप्तं दिवः कुण्डलं कालोन्मानविभावनाक्षतलयं बिंबं रवेः पातु वः
sthānaṃ śāśvatamojasāṃ gatirapāṃ dīpo diśāmakṣayaḥ siddherdvāramapāvabhedi jagatāṃ sādhāraṇaṃ locanam | haimaṃ puṣkaramaṃtarikṣasaraso dīptaṃ divaḥ kuṇḍalaṃ kālonmānavibhāvanākṣatalayaṃ biṃbaṃ raveḥ pātu vaḥ
May the radiant disc of the Sun protect you—an eternal abode of splendor; the course and refuge of the waters; the imperishable lamp of the directions; the gateway to siddhi that breaks through impurity; the common eye of all worlds. Like a golden lotus in the lake of the mid-sky, like heaven’s shining earring, and the measure by which time is known—before it, at last, even what seems unbroken is dissolved.
Narratorial eulogy (stuti) within the Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya context
Tirtha: Arkasthala (Sūrya-sthala) in Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Devī and the implied audience (‘vaḥ’)
Scene: A vast cosmic Sun-disc radiates over the mid-sky like a golden lotus; directions lit as by an imperishable lamp; waters drawn into their course; time-wheels implied; the hymn culminates in a protective blessing.
FAQs
Sūrya is praised as the universal witness and purifier—illumination (outer and inner) is presented as the force that removes impurity and enables siddhi.
The verse functions within the Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya, thereby supporting the sanctity of Prabhāsa-kṣetra while extolling the Sun as its cosmic emblem.
No explicit rite is stated here; it is a protective stuti intended for recitation, aligning with devotional praise (stotra) rather than a specific vrata or dāna.