Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

तत्र कृष्णचतुर्द्दश्यां रात्रौ संपूज्य शंकरम् । दक्षिणां दिशमाश्रित्य अघोरं पूजयेत्तु यः

Transliteration

tatra kṛṣṇacaturddaśyāṃ rātrau saṃpūjya śaṃkaram | dakṣiṇāṃ diśamāśritya aghoraṃ pūjayettu yaḥ

Translation

അവിടെ കൃഷ്ണചതുര്ദശിയുടെ രാത്രിയിൽ ശങ്കരനെ വിധിപൂർവ്വം പൂജിച്ച്, തെക്കുദിശയെ അഭിമുഖീകരിച്ച് അഘോരരൂപത്തെ ആരാധിക്കുന്നവൻ ഫലം പ്രാപിക്കും।

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय

• कृष्णचतुर्दश्याम्: on the dark fortnight’s fourteenth (tithi)
• कृष्णचतुर्दश्याम्: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्णचतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक) = कृष्ण + चतुर्दशी
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (कृष्णपक्षस्य चतुर्दशी)

• रात्रौ: at night
• रात्रौ: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• संपूज्य: having duly worshipped
• संपूज्य: Purvakala-kriya (Absolutive/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + पूज् (धातु) → संपूज्य (कृदन्त)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); पूर्वक्रिया (having worshipped)

• शंकरम्: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• शंकरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• दक्षिणाम्: southern
• दक्षिणाम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (दिशम्)

• दिशम्: direction
• दिशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिश् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• आश्रित्य: having turned to; resorting to
• आश्रित्य: Purvakala-kriya (Absolutive/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + श्रि (धातु) → आश्रित्य (कृदन्त)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); पूर्वक्रिया (having resorted to/turning to)

• अघोरम्: Aghora (a form/name of Śiva)
• अघोरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अघोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; शिवस्य नाम

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

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

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

Speaker

Narratorial voice within the Māhātmya (contextual Purāṇic narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Bhūtanātheśvara context)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A midnight shrine at Prabhāsa: devotees after worshipping Śaṅkara turn to face south and worship Aghora; lamps flicker, shadows deepen, the liṅga radiates a fierce-calm aura.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara
• Aghora

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Focused devotion to Śiva at an auspicious tithi and with prescribed discipline is portrayed as a direct means to attain sacred results.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, specifically the Bhūtanātheśvara context within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Night worship of Śaṅkara on Kṛṣṇa-caturdaśī, including worship of Aghora while facing the southern direction.