Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

कार्त्तिके मासि देवस्य रथयात्रा प्रकीर्त्तिता । यां कृत्वा मानवो भक्त्या याति ब्रह्मसलोकताम्

Transliteration

kārttike māsi devasya rathayātrā prakīrttitā | yāṃ kṛtvā mānavo bhaktyā yāti brahmasalokatām

Translation

കാർത്തിക മാസത്തിൽ ദേവന്റെ രഥയാത്ര പ്രസിദ്ധമാണ്. ഭക്തിയോടെ അത് ചെയ്താൽ മനുഷ്യൻ ബ്രഹ്മലോകം പ്രാപിക്കും.

Word by Word

• कार्त्तिके: in (the month of) Kārttika
• कार्त्तिके: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्त्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; कालाधिकरण (in Kārttika)

• मासि: in the month
• मासि: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; कार्त्तिके इति विशेषण-सम्बन्धः

• देवस्य: of the deity
• देवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• रथयात्रा: chariot procession
• रथयात्रा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ + यात्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—रथस्य यात्रा

• प्रकीर्त्तिता: is proclaimed
• प्रकीर्त्तिता: Kriya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + कीर्त् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मणि—‘प्रशंसिता/उक्ताऽस्ति’

• याम्: which
• याम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (which)

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त्वा (अव्यय-कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वक्रिया—‘कृत्वा’

• मानवः: a man
• मानवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; साधन/भाव-करण

• याति: goes
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• ब्रह्मसलोकताम्: the state of Brahmā’s world (Brahmaloka)
• ब्रह्मसलोकताम्: Gati/Karma (Goal as object/गति-कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् + स + लोक + ता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः—ब्रह्मणः सः लोकः (ब्रह्मलोकः) तस्य भावः/अवस्था ‘-ता’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Somnātha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At Prabhāsa, the Lord’s richly decorated chariot rolls through the streets in Kārttika; devotees line the route with lamps and offerings, while priests chant and musicians play auspicious rhythms; the sea-breeze and temple flags frame the procession.

Characters & Entities

• Kārttika
• Rathayātrā
• Brahmaloka
• Prabhāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional participation in sacred festivals is a direct path to elevated spiritual destiny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where the Kārttika rathayātrā is celebrated as a high-merit observance.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performing the deity’s rathayātrā in Kārttika with bhakti.