Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

माघे मासि जिताहारस्त्रिकालं योऽर्चयेत्ततः । नारदेशं भैरवं स स्वर्गरामामनोहरः

Transliteration

māghe māsi jitāhārastrikālaṃ yo'rcayettataḥ | nāradeśaṃ bhairavaṃ sa svargarāmāmanoharaḥ

Translation

മാഘമാസത്തിൽ നിയന്ത്രിതാഹാരനായി അവിടെ ത്രികാലം നാരദേശ ഭൈരവനെ അർച്ചിക്കുന്നവൻ, സ്വർഗത്തിൽ അപ്സരസ്സുകൾക്കും മനോഹരനാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• माघे: in (the month of) Māgha
• माघे: Adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माघ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• मासि: in the month
• मासि: Adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• जिताहारः: having controlled diet
• जिताहारः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जित (√जि; कृदन्त-भूतकृदन्त/क्त) + आहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-समासः: जितः आहारः यस्य = 'one whose diet is controlled'

• त्रिकालम्: three times (a day)
• त्रिकालम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि (संख्या) + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (त्रयः कालाः)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• अर्चयेत्: should worship
• अर्चयेत्: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु; √अर्च्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ततः: thereafter
• ततः: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: thereafter/from there)

• नारदेशम्: Nāradeśa (a form/name of Bhairava)
• नारदेशम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: नारदस्य ईशः = 'Lord of Nārada' (name of Bhairava)

• भैरवम्: Bhairava
• भैरवम्: Karma (Object/apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भैरव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• स्वर्गरामामनोहरः: delightful to the heavenly maidens
• स्वर्गरामामनोहरः: Karta (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + राम (प्रातिपदिक) + मनोहर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः: स्वर्गे रामाः (अप्सरसः) तासाम् मनोहरः = 'charming to the heavenly maidens'

Speaker

Narrator addressing Devī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāradeśa Bhairava (Nāradeśvara Bhairava) at Prabhāsa

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In Māgha’s cool clarity, a devotee with restrained diet performs three daily worship sessions at the Bhairava shrine—morning sunlight, noon brilliance, evening lamp-glow—culminating in a vision of svarga where the devotee appears radiant and attractive among apsarās.

Characters & Entities

• Māgha (month)
• Nāradeśa Bhairava
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra
• Svarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Vrata means disciplined life plus devotion; time-bound worship done with restraint yields powerful fruit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The worship is to be done ‘there’ at Prabhāsa-kṣetra, centered on Nāradeśa Bhairava.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

In Māgha: dietary restraint (jitāhāra) and trikāla-arcana (worship three times daily) of Nāradeśa Bhairava.