Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

द्वौ देवेऽथर्वणौ विप्रौ प्राङ्मुखौ च निवेशयेत् । पित्र्ये ह्युदङ्मुखान्कुर्याद्बह्वृचाध्वर्युसामगान्

Transliteration

dvau deve'tharvaṇau viprau prāṅmukhau ca niveśayet | pitrye hyudaṅmukhānkuryādbahvṛcādhvaryusāmagān

Translation

Pour les rites destinés aux Deva, qu’on fasse asseoir deux brāhmanes Atharvan tournés vers l’est. Mais pour les rites destinés aux Pitṛs, qu’on fasse asseoir les prêtres Bahvṛc, Adhvaryu et Sāmaga tournés vers le nord.

Word by Word

• dvau: two
• dvau: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvi (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), द्विवचन; विशेषणम् (विप्रौ)

• deve: divine/holy
• deve: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), द्विवचन; विशेषणम् (अथर्वणौ)

• atharvaṇau: two Atharvans (Atharvavedins)
• atharvaṇau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: atharvan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), द्विवचन

• viprau: two Brahmins
• viprau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), द्विवचन

• prāṅmukhau: facing east
• prāṅmukhau: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prāṅ (प्रातिपदिक) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), द्विवचन; तत्पुरुषः (प्राङ् मुखं यस्य)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• niveśayet: should seat/place
• niveśayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni+viś (धातु, णिच्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच् (causative)

• pitrye: in the ancestral rite
• pitrye: Adhikarana (Occasion/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitrya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन; पितृ-सम्बन्धि कर्म

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतौ/निश्चये अव्यय (for/indeed)

• udaṅmukhān: facing north
• udaṅmukhān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: udaṅ (प्रातिपदिक) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (उदङ् मुखं येषाम्)

• kuryāt: should make/arrange
• kuryāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• bahvṛca: Ṛgvedin (Bahvṛc)
• bahvṛca: Sambandha (Compound-member/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bahvṛc (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-रूप (समासाङ्ग)

• adhvaryu: Yajurvedin (Adhvaryu)
• adhvaryu: Sambandha (Compound-member/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhvaryu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-रूप (समासाङ्ग)

• sāmagān: Sāmavedins (and the others)
• sāmagān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāmaga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), बहुवचन; पूर्वपदद्वयेन सह समाहार-द्वन्द्वसमासः (बह्वृच-adhvaryu-sāmaga)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa māhātmya narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual hall diagrammatically clear: two Atharvan priests seated facing east before a small altar for deva rite; separately, three priests (Bahvṛc, Adhvaryu, Sāmaga) seated facing north for pitṛ rite, with the yajamāna arranging seats on kuśa mats.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Pitṛs
• Atharvan
• Bahvṛc
• Adhvaryu
• Sāmaga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred directionality (dik) is part of dharma; aligning priestly seating with the rite aligns the rite with its cosmic recipient.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where precise śrāddha and deva-ritual procedures are taught as the proper way to honor the sacred field.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Seat priests facing specific directions: for Deva rites, two Atharvans facing east; for Pitṛ rites, the Ṛg/Yajur/Sāma priests facing north.