Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

फाल्गुनान्तचतुर्द्दश्यां सुमहेश्वरसन्निधौ । धर्माण्येतानि सर्वाणि कलां नार्हंति षोडशीम्

Transliteration

phālgunāntacaturddaśyāṃ sumaheśvarasannidhau | dharmāṇyetāni sarvāṇi kalāṃ nārhaṃti ṣoḍaśīm

Translation

Au jour de Caturdaśī, à la fin de Phālguna, en la présence de Sumaheśvara, toutes ces œuvres de dharma n’égalent pas même le seizième de son mérite.

Word by Word

• फाल्गुनान्तचतुर्दश्याम्: on the Phālguna-month’s ending fourteenth (tithi)
• फाल्गुनान्तचतुर्दश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फाल्गुन-अन्त-चतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; कालाधिकरण (locative of time)

• सुमहेश्वरसन्निधौ: in the presence of Sumaheśvara
• सुमहेश्वरसन्निधौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु-महेश्वर-सन्निधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; देशाधिकरण

• धर्माणि: religious acts/duties
• धर्माणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन

• एतानि: these
• एतानि: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (धर्माणि)

• सर्वाणि: all
• सर्वाणि: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (धर्माणि)

• कलाम्: a fraction/part (kalā)
• कलाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• अर्हन्ति: are worthy of / equal
• अर्हन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• षोडशीम्: the sixteenth (tithi/kalā)
• षोडशीम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षोडशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेष्य (कलाम्) — ‘षोडशी-कलाम्’ implied

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) extolling a specific vrata at a specific shrine (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sumaheśvara (Arbuda-kṣetra)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahārāja (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Before Sumaheśvara’s liṅga, the night of Phālguna-anta Caturdaśī glows with many lamps; pilgrims stand in reverent silence, while a sage proclaims that all other dharmas are but a sixteenth part.

Characters & Entities

• Sumaheśvara
• Phālguna
• Caturdaśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time (tithi) and place (sannidhi of a specific Śiva) can magnify dharma so greatly that other merits become negligible in comparison.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Sumaheśvara’s sacred presence/shrine within the Arbuda-kṣetra tradition of the Arbuda Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observe the Phālguna-anta Caturdaśī in Sumaheśvara’s presence (implying worship/offerings as described in adjacent verses).