Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 113

Devanagari script

मंदे वार्के गुरौ वाऽपि कार्तिकी कृत्तिकायुता । तत्राश्वमेधिकं पुण्यं दृष्ट्वा वै बालरूपिणम्

Transliteration

maṃde vārke gurau vā'pi kārtikī kṛttikāyutā | tatrāśvamedhikaṃ puṇyaṃ dṛṣṭvā vai bālarūpiṇam

Translation

Lorsque Kārtikī est jointe à Kṛttikā—que ce soit sous Saturne, le Soleil ou Jupiter—alors, en contemplant le Seigneur sous sa forme d’enfant, on obtient un mérite égal à celui du sacrifice de l’Aśvamedha.

Word by Word

• मन्दे: when Saturn (is) in (a certain position)
• मन्दे: अधिकरण (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; ‘मन्द’ = शनैश्चरः (Saturn)

• वार्के: when Mars (is) in
• वार्के: अधिकरण (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वार्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; ‘वार्क’ = भौमः/मङ्गलः (Mars)

• गुरौ: when Jupiter (is) in
• गुरौ: अधिकरण (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; ‘गुरु’ = बृहस्पतिः (Jupiter)

• वा: or
• वा: समुच्चय/विकल्प (Disjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (particle of alternative)

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: सम्बन्ध (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-निपात (particle: also/even)

• कार्तिकी: Kārtikī (a lunar day/occasion)
• कार्तिकी: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्तिकी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; (तिथि/नक्षत्र-सम्बन्धः)

• कृत्तिकायुता: accompanied by (the nakṣatra) Kṛttikā
• कृत्तिकायुता: विशेषण (Adjectival to ‘कार्तिकी’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत्तिका + युत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘कृत्तिकाभिः युता’ = कृत्तिकानक्षत्रयुक्ता (endowed with Kṛttikā)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: अधिकरण (Adverbial location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• अश्वमेधिकम्: connected with the Aśvamedha (horse-sacrifice)
• अश्वमेधिकम्: विशेषण (Adjectival to ‘पुण्यम्’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अश्वमेध + इक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; ‘अश्वमेधसम्बन्धि’

• पुण्यम्: merit; holy benefit
• पुण्यम्: कर्म/फल (Object/Result)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: पूर्वकाल (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive); ‘having seen’

• वै: indeed
• वै: सम्बन्ध (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• बालरूपिणम्: the one in child-form
• बालरूपिणम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल + रूपिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; ‘बालरूपं यस्य’ (as an epithet)

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Kṛṣṇa

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kārtikī night at Prabhāsa with Kṛttikā prominent: devotees behold a radiant child-form of the Lord in a shrine, lamps blazing; the atmosphere suggests ‘Aśvamedha-level’ sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Kārtikī
• Kṛttikā
• Śani
• Sūrya (Arka)
• Bṛhaspati (Guru)
• Aśvamedha
• Bālarūpī (Hari)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Darśana (sacred seeing) of the deity at the right sacred time can equal the merit of grand Vedic sacrifices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra is the implied setting for the exalted darśana and its extraordinary merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Seek darśana of Bālarūpī Hari when Kārtikī coincides with Kṛttikā, especially under notable planetary rulerships.