Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

नकारं नासिकाग्रे तु प्रकारं नेत्रमाश्रितम् । चोकारं च भ्रुवोर्मध्ये दकारं प्राणमाश्रितम्

Transliteration

nakāraṃ nāsikāgre tu prakāraṃ netramāśritam | cokāraṃ ca bhruvormadhye dakāraṃ prāṇamāśritam

Translation

‘ന’ അക്ഷരം നാസികാഗ്രത്തിൽ സ്ഥാപിക്കണം; ‘പ്ര’ നെ നേത്രത്തിൽ ആശ്രയിപ്പിക്കണം. ‘ചോ’ ഭ്രൂമധ്യേയും ‘ദ’ പ്രാണത്തിൽയും സ്ഥാപിക്കണം.

Word by Word

• नकारम्: the syllable ‘na’
• नकारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘न’ इति वर्णविशेषः

• नासिकाग्रे: at the tip of the nose
• नासिकाग्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नासिका-अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नासिकायाः अग्रे)

• तु: and/indeed
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• प्रकारम्: the syllable ‘pra’
• प्रकारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘प्र’ इति वर्णविशेषः

• नेत्रम्: the eye
• नेत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• आश्रितम्: situated/placed (in)
• आश्रितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ√श्रि (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (नेत्रम्)

• चोकारम्: the syllable ‘co/cho’
• चोकारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चोकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘चो’ इति वर्णविशेषः

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय

• भ्रुवोः: of the two eyebrows
• भ्रुवोः: Adhikarana/Relation (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भ्रू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, द्विवचन

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दकारम्: the syllable ‘da’
• दकारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘द’ इति वर्णविशेषः

• प्राणम्: the vital breath
• प्राणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• आश्रितम्: situated/placed (in)
• आश्रितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ√श्रि (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (प्राणम्)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūreśvarī / Devī addressed as ‘priye’ (as per surrounding verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sādhaka seated before a Śiva-liṅga at Prabhāsa, eyes half-closed, performing internal nyāsa—touching/visualizing nose-tip, eyes, brow-center, and breath—while the sea-breeze and temple lamps flicker.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual worship integrates inner life-force (prāṇa) and sensory gateways, making devotion a whole-person discipline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, whose Māhātmya frames these practices as part of its sacred worship culture.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Nyāsa: ‘na’ at nose-tip, ‘pra’ in the eye, ‘co’ between the brows, ‘da’ in the prāṇa.