Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

कृष्णाष्टम्यां विशेषेण गुग्गुलं घृतसंयुतम् । यो दहेद्विधिवत्तत्र पूजां कृत्वा निशागमे

Transliteration

kṛṣṇāṣṭamyāṃ viśeṣeṇa guggulaṃ ghṛtasaṃyutam | yo dahedvidhivattatra pūjāṃ kṛtvā niśāgame

Translation

Surtout au jour de Kṛṣṇāṣṭamī, quiconque, après avoir accompli le culte en ce lieu au crépuscule, brûle selon le rite la résine de guggulu mêlée de ghee—

Word by Word

• कृष्णाष्टम्याम्: on Kṛṣṇāṣṭamī (the 8th lunar day of the dark fortnight)
• कृष्णाष्टम्याम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्णाष्टमी (प्रातिपदिक) [कृष्ण + अष्टमी]
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; कालवाचक-सप्तमी (on the occasion of)

• विशेषेण: especially
• विशेषेण: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverbial instrumental usage)

• गुग्गुलम्: guggulu (resin/incense)
• गुग्गुलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुग्गुलु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; कर्मपद

• घृतसंयुतम्: mixed with ghee
• घृतसंयुतम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घृत (प्रातिपदिक) + संयुत (कृदन्त; √युज् (धातु) क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण (mixed/combined with)

• यः: who (whoever)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• दहेत्: should burn (offer by burning)
• दहेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दह् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष? (actually 3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; विध्यर्थ (should burn)

• विधिवत्: according to rule
• विधिवत्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक/locative adverb)

• पूजाम्: worship
• पूजाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कृत्वा-योगे कर्म

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• निशागमे: at the coming of night
• निशागमे: Adhikarana (Time-locative/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निशागम (प्रातिपदिक) [निशा + आगम]
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कालवाचक-सप्तमी (at nightfall)

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa Mahākāla/Bhairava worship (Kṛṣṇāṣṭamī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nightfall in the shrine courtyard: devotee offers dhūpa; thick aromatic guggulu smoke curls around the liṅga and lamps; moonless/dark fortnight ambiance; priests performing orderly rites.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇāṣṭamī
• Guggulu
• Ghṛta (ghee)
• Mahākāleśvara (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time-sacralized worship (specific tithi and evening) combined with proper offerings intensifies devotion and purificatory merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Mahākāleśvara shrine-area in Prabhāsa-kṣetra (immediate context).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

On Kṛṣṇāṣṭamī, perform evening worship and burn guggulu mixed with ghee as a prescribed offering.