Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

आश्वयुक्छुक्लपक्षे या अष्टमी मूलसंयुता । सा महानामिका प्राणा येषां तस्यां गताः शुभे

Transliteration

āśvayukchuklapakṣe yā aṣṭamī mūlasaṃyutā | sā mahānāmikā prāṇā yeṣāṃ tasyāṃ gatāḥ śubhe

Translation

O Auspicious One, the eighth day in the bright fortnight of Āśvayuja, when joined with the Mūla nakṣatra, is called “Mahānāmikā”. Blessed are those whose life-breath departs on that day.

Word by Word

• आश्वयुक्: in (the month) Āśvayuja
• आश्वयुक्: Adhikarana (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्वयुक् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; मास-नाम

• शुक्ल: bright (waxing)
• शुक्ल: Adhikarana (Locative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुक्ल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• पक्षे: in the fortnight
• पक्षे: Adhikarana (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• या: which (tithi)
• या: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अष्टमी: the eighth (tithi)
• अष्टमी: Karta (Subject apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तिथि-नाम

• मूलसंयुता: joined with (the nakṣatra) Mūla
• मूलसंयुता: Visheshana (Adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मूल + संयुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; मूल-नक्षत्रेण संयुता (युक्ता)

• सा: that (tithi)
• सा: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• महानामिका: (is) called Mahānāmikā
• महानामिका: Karta (Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + नामिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; महती नामिका यस्याः (महानाम्नी)

• प्राणाः: vital breaths/lives
• प्राणाः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• येषाम्: of whom
• येषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• तस्याम्: on that (day)
• तस्याम्: Adhikarana (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• गताः: gone/departed
• गताः: Karta (Predicate; state)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• शुभे: O auspicious one
• शुभे: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Somnātha region)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A goddess addressed as ‘Śubhe’ (auspicious lady)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred calendar moment: priests point to the bright Aśvayuja moon while a star-map marks Mūla; pilgrims at Prabhāsa perform lamps and offerings, contemplating the blessed ‘Mahānāmikā’ conjunction.

Characters & Entities

• Āśvayuja
• Śukla-pakṣa
• Aṣṭamī
• Mūla nakṣatra
• Mahānāmikā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma recognizes sacred time: certain tithis and nakṣatras are praised as spiritually potent and auspicious.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within the Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya context, the teaching supports the sacred calendrical atmosphere surrounding worship at Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit act is commanded here; it identifies an especially auspicious tithi-nakṣatra conjunction (Aṣṭamī with Mūla) named Mahānāmikā.