Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

कृष्णाष्टम्यां च ये मर्त्याः संध्यायां भस्मवर्जिताः । पंचदश्यां महादेवं न यजंति च यत्र वै

Transliteration

kṛṣṇāṣṭamyāṃ ca ye martyāḥ saṃdhyāyāṃ bhasmavarjitāḥ | paṃcadaśyāṃ mahādevaṃ na yajaṃti ca yatra vai

Translation

കൃഷ്ണാഷ്ടമിയിൽ സന്ധ്യാകാലത്ത് ഭസ്മം കൂടാതെ സന്ധ്യാവന്ദനം ചെയ്യുന്ന മർത്ത്യരും, പഞ്ചദശിയിൽ മഹാദേവനെ പൂജിക്കാത്ത സ്ഥലവും—

Word by Word

• कृष्णाष्टम्याम्: on Kṛṣṇāṣṭamī
• कृष्णाष्टम्याम्: Adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्णाष्टमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th); एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Avyaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• ये: who (those who)
• ये: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st); बहुवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-सर्वनाम

• मर्त्याः: mortals/men
• मर्त्याः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st); बहुवचन

• संध्यायाम्: at twilight (sandhyā)
• संध्यायाम्: Adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संध्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th); एकवचन

• भस्म-वर्जिताः: devoid of sacred ash
• भस्म-वर्जिताः: Karta (Subject-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भस्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्जित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (भस्मना वर्जिताः); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st); बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘मर्त्याः’)

• पञ्चदश्याम्: on the fifteenth lunar day
• पञ्चदश्याम्: Adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चदशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th); एकवचन

• महादेवम्: Mahādeva (Śiva)
• महादेवम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd); एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• यजन्ति: they worship/sacrifice to
• यजन्ति: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: यज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present); प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Avyaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-सम्बन्ध (where)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha/Avyaya (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चय/खलु-अर्थ (emphatic particle)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Twilight on Kṛṣṇāṣṭamī: a householder performs sandhyā without bhasma, while nearby the full-moon day’s Śiva shrine stands unattended—two omissions shown as cracks in dharma.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇāṣṭamī
• Sandhyā
• Bhasma
• Mahādeva
• Pañcadaśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma is sustained by daily discipline (sandhyā) and deity-worship on key tithis; neglect weakens spiritual protection.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where correct Śaiva practice is treated as a sign of sacred order.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sandhyā performed with bhasma (sacred ash) and worship of Mahādeva on the fifteenth lunar day.