Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

ततः स क्लिन्नजालं तच्छोषणाय रवेः करैः । प्रासादध्वजदंडाग्रे संप्रसारितवांस्तदा

Transliteration

tataḥ sa klinnajālaṃ tacchoṣaṇāya raveḥ karaiḥ | prāsādadhvajadaṃḍāgre saṃprasāritavāṃstadā

Translation

Then, to dry that wet net by the sun’s rays, he spread it out upon the tip of the palace’s flagstaff.

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Time-sequence)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb; sequence)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• क्लिन्न-जालम्: the wet net/cloth
• क्लिन्न-जालम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्लिन्न (प्रातिपदिक) + जाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारय: ‘क्लिन्नं जालम्’ (a wet net/cloth)

• तत्: that (it)
• तत्: Karma (कर्म/Object; resumptive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (referring to क्लिन्नजालम्)

• शोषणाय: for drying
• शोषणाय: Prayojana (प्रयोजन/Purpose)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शोषण (प्रातिपदिक; from √शुष्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन; प्रयोजनार्थ (for the purpose of drying)

• रवेः: of the sun
• रवेः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रवि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• करैः: with (sun-)rays
• करैः: Karana (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• प्रासाद-ध्वज-दण्ड-अग्रे: at the top of the palace flagstaff
• प्रासाद-ध्वज-दण्ड-अग्रे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रासाद (प्रातिपदिक) + ध्वज (प्रातिपदिक) + दण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-श्रृंखला: ‘प्रासादस्य ध्वजदण्डस्य अग्रे’ (at the top/front of the palace flagstaff)

• संप्रसारितवान्: stretched out, spread
• संप्रसारितवान्: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicate; participial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: संप् + प्र + सृ (धातु) + क्तवतुँ (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतपूर्व-कृदन्त (Past active participle/क्तवतुँ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोग (active)

• तदा: at that time
• तदा: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Śiva (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A temple-palace rises near the sea; a man spreads a dripping fishing-net or corded net over the tip of a tall dhvaja-daṇḍa so the sun can dry it; the sun’s rays strike the wet mesh, sparkling above the shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya
• dhvaja-daṇḍa (flagstaff)
• jāla (net)
• prāsāda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Contact with temple symbols (like the dhvaja) can generate merit even without deliberate devotional intent.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The episode serves the Prabhāsa-kṣetra māhātmya, highlighting the sanctity of Śiva-connected sacred space and its emblems.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal rite; the act resembles a symbolic ‘adorning’ of the shrine’s flagstaff, later treated as auspicious.