Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 76

Devanagari script

वायवायाहि मन्त्रेण वायुं देवि सदार्चयेत् । यथाक्रममिमान्देवि सर्वान्वै पूजयेद्बुधः

Transliteration

vāyavāyāhi mantreṇa vāyuṃ devi sadārcayet | yathākramamimāndevi sarvānvai pūjayedbudhaḥ

Translation

ഹേ ദേവി, “വായവായാഹി…” മന്ത്രത്തോടെ വായുദേവനെ നിത്യവും അർച്ചിക്കണം. ഇങ്ങനെ ക്രമാനുസാരമായി ജ്ഞാനി ഇവരെല്ലാം പൂജിക്കണം.

Word by Word

• vāyava: O Vāyu
• vāyava: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; मन्त्रपद (address to Vāyu)

• yāhi: come/go
• yāhi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yā (या)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; मन्त्रपद

• mantreṇa: with the mantra
• mantreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; करण

• vāyum: Vāyu (wind-god)
• vāyum: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म

• devi: O देवी
• devi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• sadā: always
• sadā: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय

• arcayet: one should worship
• arcayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √arc (अर्च्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• yathā-kramam: in due order/sequence
• yathā-kramam: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā + krama (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• imān: these
• imān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying sarvān)

• devi: O देवी
• devi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• sarvān: all (of them)
• sarvān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; कर्म

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• pūjayet: one should worship
• pūjayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pūj (पूज्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• budhaḥ: a wise person
• budhaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: budha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्ता

Speaker

Sūta (deduced from Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A wise pilgrim completes a circular worship sequence: offerings placed at multiple stations; Vāyu is visualized as swift, subtle, moving through banners and incense smoke, receiving flowers at a dedicated altar point.

Characters & Entities

• Vāyu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is practiced through order and completeness: worship becomes holistic when performed sequentially, honoring each divine function.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, framed as a mandala of worship where a full sequence of deities is honored.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Arcana to Vāyu with the “vāyav āyāhi” mantra, and then worship of all associated deities in the prescribed order.