Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

तत्रैव ऋषिपञ्चम्यां प्राप्ते भाद्रपदे शुभे । अक्षमालेश्वरं पूज्य मुच्यते नारकाद्भयात्

Transliteration

tatraiva ṛṣipañcamyāṃ prāpte bhādrapade śubhe | akṣamāleśvaraṃ pūjya mucyate nārakādbhayāt

Translation

അവിടെയേ, ശുഭമായ ഭാദ്രപദ മാസത്തിൽ ഋഷി-പഞ്ചമി വന്നാൽ അക്ഷമാലേശ്വരനെ പൂജിക്കുന്നവൻ നരകഭയത്തിൽ നിന്ന് മോചിതനാകും.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphasis/only)

• ऋषिपञ्चम्याम्: on Ṛṣi-pañcamī (festival day)
• ऋषिपञ्चम्याम्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि + पञ्चमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (ऋषीणां पञ्चमी)

• प्राप्ते: when (it) has arrived
• प्राप्ते: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु) + क्त → प्राप्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle) सप्तमी, एकवचन; नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग-रूपे (सप्तमी-सम्बन्धे)

• भाद्रपदे: in Bhādrapada (month)
• भाद्रपदे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाद्रपद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; मासनाम

• शुभे: auspicious
• शुभे: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (भाद्रपदे)

• अक्षमालेश्वरम्: Akṣamāleśvara
• अक्षमालेश्वरम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्षमाला + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• पूज्य: having worshipped
• पूज्य: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूज् (धातु) + यत् → पूज्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: ल्यबन्त/तुमुनर्थक-प्रयोगे क्त्वार्थ-समकक्षः; here as absolutive sense ‘having worshipped’ (gerundial usage)

• मुच्यते: is freed
• मुच्यते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (passive)

• नारकात्: from hellish
• नारकात्: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (Ablative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (भयात्)

• भयात्: fear
• भयात्: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (deduced from Adhyāya 130 explicitly beginning with “Īśvara uvāca”, and continuity of instruction)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Akṣamāleśvara (Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On Bhādrapada Ṛṣi-pañcamī, pilgrims gather at Akṣamāleśvara; a priest performs abhiṣeka, devotees hold rosaries (akṣamālā) and offer bilva; the mood is protective and serene, dispelling fear of hell.

Characters & Entities

• Akṣamāleśvara
• Ṛṣi-pañcamī
• Bhādrapada
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Timely worship (pūjā) aligned with sacred calendrical observances is praised as a direct path to protection and purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, with emphasis on the shrine of Akṣamāleśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform pūjā to Akṣamāleśvara on Ṛṣi-pañcamī occurring in the month of Bhādrapada.