Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

माघमासे सिते पक्षे सप्तम्यां च विशेषतः । अश्वं यः स्पर्शयेत्तत्र यथोक्तब्राह्मणे नृप

Transliteration

māghamāse site pakṣe saptamyāṃ ca viśeṣataḥ | aśvaṃ yaḥ sparśayettatra yathoktabrāhmaṇe nṛpa

Translation

Au mois de Māgha, durant la quinzaine claire—et tout particulièrement au septième jour lunaire—ô roi, celui qui, là, touche un cheval selon les prescriptions énoncées par les brāhmaṇas…

Word by Word

• माघमासे: in the month of Māgha
• माघमासे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māgha + māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (माघस्य मासः); पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (Masculine, Locative, Singular)

• सिते: bright (white)
• सिते: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (Masculine, Locative, Singular); विशेषणम् (पक्षे)

• पक्षे: in the fortnight
• पक्षे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (Masculine, Locative, Singular)

• सप्तम्याम्: on the seventh (lunar day)
• सप्तम्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saptamī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (Feminine, Locative, Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय अव्यय (conjunction)

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: viśeṣataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण अव्यय (adverb)

• अश्वम्: a horse
• अश्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular); सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम

• स्पर्शयेत्: should touch
• स्पर्शयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: spṛś (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Optative, 3rd person singular, Parasmaipada)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• यथोक्तब्राह्मणे: in the case of the prescribed brāhmaṇa
• यथोक्तब्राह्मणे: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yathā-ukta + brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (यथोक्तः ब्राह्मणः); पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (Masculine, Locative, Singular)

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa (Somnātha region)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nṛpa / nṛpaśreṣṭha)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims at Prabhāsa on Māgha śukla saptamī; a brāhmaṇa officiant directs a rite where a devotee respectfully touches a horse as part of a prescribed observance.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Nṛpa/Rājā (listener)
• Māgha month
• Śukla pakṣa
• Saptamī
• Prabhāseśa tīrtha (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma joins sacred geography with sacred time—specific tithis in specific tīrthas are taught to intensify merit.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

The ongoing context is Prabhāseśa tīrtha on the Narmadā (Revā) in the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A time-bound observance: in Māgha, bright fortnight, especially Saptamī, a prescribed act involving ‘touching a horse’ (aśva-sparśa) according to brāhmaṇa injunctions.