Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 101

Devanagari script

तमुष्टवामेति मंत्रेण पूजयेत्सुरसुन्दरि । अग्निमीऌए पुरोहितमाग्नेयं शृंगमर्चयेत्

Transliteration

tamuṣṭavāmeti maṃtreṇa pūjayetsurasundari | agnimīḷe purohitamāgneyaṃ śṛṃgamarcayet

Translation

ഹേ സുരസുന്ദരി, ‘തമുഷ്ടവാം…’ മന്ത്രത്തോടെ പൂജിക്കണം. കൂടാതെ ‘അഗ്നിമീളേ പുരോഹിതം’ മന്ത്രത്തോടെ ആഗ്നേയ (തെക്ക്-കിഴക്ക്) ശൃംഗത്തെ അർച്ചിക്കണം.

Word by Word

• tam: him/that
• tam: Karma (Object within mantra quotation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन (accusative singular)

• uṣṭavāma: ‘uṣṭavāma’ (mantra-word)
• uṣṭavāma: Karta (Mantra-word as quoted)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uṣṭavāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मन्त्रपद (quoted mantra-word), प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन (as a fixed Vedic form)

• iti: thus, ‘iti’
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, इति-शब्दः (quotative particle)

• maṃtreṇa: with the mantra
• maṃtreṇa: Karaṇa (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन

• pūjayet: should worship
• pūjayet: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pūj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• surasundari: O beautiful one among the gods
• surasundari: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura-sundarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: सुर + सुन्दरी (कर्मधारय; ‘divine beauty’). स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th case), एकवचन

• agnim: Agni
• agnim: Karma (Object within mantra quotation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन (accusative singular)

• īḷe: I praise
• īḷe: Kriyā (Predicate within mantra quotation)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √īḷ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), आत्मनेपद, उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (Vedic form: ‘I praise’)

• purohitam: the priest (purohita)
• purohitam: Karma (Apposition/object within mantra)
• Type: Noun
• Root: purohita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन (accusative singular)

• āgneyam: belonging to Agni; southeastern
• āgneyam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of śṛṅgam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: āgneya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण, नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन (accusative singular)

• śṛṃgam: peak
• śṛṃgam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śṛṅga (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन (accusative singular)

• arcayet: should worship
• arcayet: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √arc (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from instructional address to a divine lady)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Āgneya-śṛṅga of Aṣṭaśṛṅga (Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (addressed as sura-sundarī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the southeastern peak, a small sacred fire or lamp is implied; the worshipper chants the famed Agni verse while offering flowers/incense, the scene glowing with tejas.

Characters & Entities

• Agni
• Āgneya-śṛṅga (Southeastern Peak)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sacred field is honored through Vedic remembrance—each direction is sanctified by invoking its presiding divine power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra’s Āgneya-śṛṅga, the southeastern sacred summit associated with Agni.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pūjā of the Āgneya peak using the Vedic opening to Agni (“agnim īḷe…”) along with another praise-mantra (“tamuṣṭavām…”).