Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

अधिष्ठाता पुरस्यास्य भैरवो रुद्ररूपधृक् । दर्शे च पूर्णिमायां च महापूजां प्रकारयेत्

Transliteration

adhiṣṭhātā purasyāsya bhairavo rudrarūpadhṛk | darśe ca pūrṇimāyāṃ ca mahāpūjāṃ prakārayet

Translation

Bhairava—revêtu de la forme de Rudra—est la divinité tutélaire qui préside à cette cité. Aux jours de nouvelle lune et de pleine lune, qu’on accomplisse selon le rite une grande pūjā.

Word by Word

• अधिष्ठाता: overseer; presiding deity
• अधिष्ठाता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अधि + स्था (धातु) + तृच् (कृदन्त)
• Form: कर्तरि-तृच् (agent noun), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• पुरस्य: of the city
• पुरस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• अस्य: of this
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• भैरवः: Bhairava
• भैरवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भैरव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• रुद्ररूपधृक्: bearing Rudra’s form
• रुद्ररूपधृक्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रुद्र + रूप + धृक्(=धृ) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (रुद्रस्य रूपं धारयति)

• दर्शे: on the new-moon day
• दर्शे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्श (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय (conjunction)

• पूर्णिमायाम्: on the full-moon day
• पूर्णिमायाम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्णिमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय (conjunction)

• महापूजाम्: great worship
• महापूजाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + पूजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महती पूजा)

• प्रकारयेत्: should arrange/perform
• प्रकारयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; णिच्-प्रयोगार्थः (causative sense: cause to be done/arrange)

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara) (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhairava (Prabhāsa-purādhiṣṭhātā)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bhairava, fierce yet protective, stands as city-guardian; on amāvāsyā/pūrṇimā devotees perform a grand worship with lamps, offerings, and ritual order in a temple courtyard at night.

Characters & Entities

• Bhairava
• Rudra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places are protected by fierce forms of Śiva; aligning worship with lunar tithis (new and full moon) harmonizes devotion with cosmic time.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The city within Prabhāsakṣetra where Bhairava is declared the adhiṣṭhātā (presiding guardian).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Mahāpūjā to Bhairava on Darśa (Amāvāsyā) and on Pūrṇimā.