Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

प्रहरं तिष्ठते मल्ली करवीरमहर्निशम् । कीटकेशापविद्धानि रात्रौ पर्युषितानि च

Transliteration

praharaṃ tiṣṭhate mallī karavīramaharniśam | kīṭakeśāpaviddhāni rātrau paryuṣitāni ca

Translation

La mallī (jasmin) demeure fraîche durant un prahara (une veille), tandis que le karavīra tient jour et nuit. Il faut aussi écarter les fleurs souillées—touchées par des insectes ou des cheveux—et celles qui, restées toute la nuit, sont devenues fanées.

Word by Word

• praharaṃ: for a watch (three hours)
• praharaṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prahara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; कालपरिमाण-द्योतक (duration)

• tiṣṭhate: remains/stands
• tiṣṭhate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• mallī: mallī (jasmine)
• mallī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mallī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्ता

• karavīram: karavīra (oleander)
• karavīram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karavīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• ahar-niśam: day and night; continuously
• ahar-niśam: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ahar (प्रातिपदिक) + niśā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (adverb)

• kīṭa-keśa-apaviddhāni: thrown away/defiled by insects or hair
• kīṭa-keśa-apaviddhāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kīṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + keśa (प्रातिपदिक) + apa + vidh (धातु) + ta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त ‘अपविद्ध’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन; विशेषणम्; तत्पुरुष-समासः (कीटैः केशैः वा अपविद्धानि—‘कीट/केश-अपविद्ध’ इति समाहारः)

• rātrau: at night
• rātrau: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rātri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; कालाधिकरणम्

• paryuṣitāni: stale/kept overnight
• paryuṣitāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pari + vas (धातु) + ta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन; विशेषणम्; ‘पर्युषित’ = ‘रात्रिं स्थित/बासीभूत’

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

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating (deduced from Purāṇic māhātmya frame in Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Someśvara at Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A priest examines blossoms closely, discarding insect-bitten or hair-tainted flowers; separate baskets show fresh mallī for immediate use and karavīra kept for longer duration.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa-kṣetra
• Someśvara (Somanātha)
• Mallī
• Karavīra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Offerings should be fresh and undefiled; inner devotion is mirrored by outer purity and care.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, through practical rules for worship of Someśvara/Somanātha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Guidelines on flower freshness and impurity: mallī lasts one prahara, karavīra lasts day and night; reject insect/hair-defiled and overnight-stale flowers.