Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 111

Devanagari script

आग्नेयं तु यदा ऋक्षं कार्तिक्यां भवति क्वचित् । महती सा तिथिर्ज्ञेया प्रभासे मम वल्लभा

Transliteration

āgneyaṃ tu yadā ṛkṣaṃ kārtikyāṃ bhavati kvacit | mahatī sā tithirjñeyā prabhāse mama vallabhā

Translation

കാർത്തികീ വ്രതത്തിൽ എപ്പോഴെങ്കിലും ആഗ്നേയ നക്ഷത്രം വന്നാൽ, ആ തിഥി മഹത്തായതെന്ന് അറിയുക—പ്രഭാസത്തിൽ അത് എനിക്ക് പ്രിയമാണ്।

Word by Word

• आग्नेयम्: Agneya (name of a nakṣatra/asterism)
• आग्नेयम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आग्नेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘ऋक्षम्’ इति विशेषणम्

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधानार्थक/विरोधार्थक-निपात (particle)

• यदा: when
• यदा: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

• ऋक्षम्: the nakṣatra (asterism)
• ऋक्षम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• कार्तिक्याम्: in (the month of) Kārtikī / Kārtika
• कार्तिक्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्तिकी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• भवति: occurs/is
• भवति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• क्वचित्: sometimes/at some time
• क्वचित्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्वचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश/कालवाचक-अव्यय (indefinite adverb)

• महती: great
• महती: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘तिथिः’ इति विशेषणम्

• सा: that (tithi)
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तिथिः: lunar day (tithi)
• तिथिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• ज्ञेया: is to be known/should be regarded
• ज्ञेया: Kriya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु) → ज्ञेय (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भाव्य/विधेयार्थक कृदन्त (तव्यत्/gerundive), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम्

• प्रभासे: in Prabhāsa
• प्रभासे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• वल्लभा: beloved, dear
• वल्लभा: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वल्लभा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘सा तिथिः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Kṛṣṇa

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calendrical revelation at Prabhāsa: the sky shows auspicious star-signs; pilgrims gather with lamps and offerings, sensing the ‘great tithi’ beloved to the deity.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa
• Kārtikī
• Agneya (nakṣatra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred time (tithi and nakṣatra) becomes especially potent when honored at a sacred place like Prabhāsa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Prabhāsa), praised as uniquely dear and spiritually powerful.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observing Kārtikī with attention to the nakṣatra (Agneya) and recognizing the day as a great sacred occasion.