Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

सोऽपि चंद्रमसो मंत्री हेमगर्भो महाप्रभः । सोमाज्ञां शिरसा कृत्वा यज्ञसंभारसंभृतः

Transliteration

so'pi caṃdramaso maṃtrī hemagarbho mahāprabhaḥ | somājñāṃ śirasā kṛtvā yajñasaṃbhārasaṃbhṛtaḥ

Translation

Alors le ministre de Candramā—Hemagarbha, rayonnant d’une grande splendeur—reçut l’ordre de Soma en inclinant la tête, et se mit à rassembler les apprêts du sacrifice.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; “he”

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/अपि-कार) “also/even”

• चन्द्रमसः: of the Moon
• चन्द्रमसः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्रमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; “of the Moon”

• मन्त्री: minister
• मन्त्री: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्रिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; “minister/counsellor”

• हेमगर्भः: Hemagarbha (golden-wombed)
• हेमगर्भः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेम (प्रातिपदिक) + गर्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि (हेमः गर्भः यस्य सः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणरूपेण नाम “Hemagarbha”

• महाप्रभः: greatly radiant
• महाप्रभः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (महान् प्रभः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; “very splendid/mighty”

• सोमाज्ञाम्: Soma’s order
• सोमाज्ञाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम (प्रातिपदिक) + आज्ञा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (सोमस्य आज्ञा), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; “Soma’s command”

• शिरसा: with the head (in reverence)
• शिरसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; “with (his) head” (idiomatically: respectfully)

• कृत्वा: having done (i.e., having accepted)
• कृत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कृत्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त “having done/made” (here: having placed/accepted)

• यज्ञसंभारसंभृतः: equipped with sacrificial materials
• यज्ञसंभारसंभृतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक) + सम्भार (प्रातिपदिक) + सम् + भृ (धातु) → संभृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (यज्ञस्य सम्भारैः संभृतः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) “furnished/collected with sacrificial requisites”

Speaker

Īśvara (narrator voice within the chapter context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (yajña context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Hemagarbha, radiant minister, bows to Soma’s command and begins assembling yajña requisites—vessels, ladles, kuśa grass, clarified butter, sacred woods, and altar materials.

Characters & Entities

• Candramā (Soma)
• Hemagarbha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reverent obedience to righteous command (ājñā) and diligent service are integral to sustaining dharmic rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, where the yajña preparations will be enacted, is the implied sacred setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Gathering yajña-saṃbhāra (sacrificial requisites) as a necessary preliminary to the rite.