Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

शिरस्तु पूजयेद्देवि आयुष्यं वर्चसेति वै । गायत्र्या तु शिखां पूज्य नैरृत्यां तु व्यवस्थिताम्

Transliteration

śirastu pūjayeddevi āyuṣyaṃ varcaseti vai | gāyatryā tu śikhāṃ pūjya nairṛtyāṃ tu vyavasthitām

Translation

ಹೇ ದೇವಿ, ‘ಆಯುಷ್ಯಂ ವರ್ಚಸೇ’ ಎಂಬ ಮಂತ್ರದಿಂದ ಶಿರಸ್ಸನ್ನು ಪೂಜಿಸಬೇಕು. ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ನೈಋತ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ಥಿತವಾದ ಶಿಖೆಯನ್ನು ಗಾಯತ್ರಿಯಿಂದ ಪೂಜಿಸಬೇಕು।

Word by Word

• शिरः: the head
• शिरः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• तु: and/then
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis/contrast)

• पूजयेत्: should worship
• पूजयेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पूज् (धातु; पूजायाम्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• देवि: O Goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• आयुष्यम्: (the word/mantra) ‘āyuṣya’ (life-giving)
• आयुष्यम्: Karma (Object/uttered formula)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म/उच्चारण-विषय), एकवचन

• वर्चसे: for radiance/splendour
• वर्चसे: Sampradana (Purpose/recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्चस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान/अर्थ), एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-समाप्ति-निपात

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis/assurance)

• गायत्र्या: with (the mantra) Gāyatrī
• गायत्र्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गायत्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• तु: and/then
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात

• शिखाम्: the topknot/crest (śikhā)
• शिखाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिखा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• पूज्य: having worshipped
• पूज्य: Kriya (Gerundial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पूज् (धातु; पूजायाम्)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund), ‘having worshipped’

• नैरृत्याम्: in the south-west (nairṛta)
• नैरृत्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नैरृत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• तु: and/then
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात

• व्यवस्थिताम्: situated/placed
• व्यवस्थिताम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-अव-√स्था (धातु; स्थितौ) + क्त (प्रातिपदिक: व्यवस्थित)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa māhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Addressed as ‘devi’ (female interlocutor)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The worshipper offers to the head region with a mantra for longevity and radiance; then, facing the southwest quarter, empowers the śikhā with Gāyatrī, as Āditya’s light crowns the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Gāyatrī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity of mind and life-force is sought through mantra—longevity and radiance are treated as dharmic fruits of disciplined worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where such mantra-worship is presented as especially efficacious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Head worship with the phrase ‘āyuṣyaṃ varcase’ and śikhā worship using the Gāyatrī, aligned to the southwest placement.