Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

अष्टम्यां च विशेषेण ब्रह्मकूर्चविधानतः । यस्तत्र कुरुते देवि सोऽश्वमेधफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

aṣṭamyāṃ ca viśeṣeṇa brahmakūrcavidhānataḥ | yastatra kurute devi so'śvamedhaphalaṃ labhet

Translation

കൂടാതെ പ്രത്യേകിച്ച് അഷ്ടമിദിനത്തില്‍, ഹേ ദേവി, അവിടെ ബ്രഹ്മകൂര്‍ച്ചവിധിപ്രകാരം ആര്‍ അനുഷ്ഠാനം ചെയ്യുമോ, അവന്‍ അശ്വമേധയാഗഫലം പ്രാപിക്കും.

Word by Word

• अष्टम्याम्: on the eighth (tithi)
• अष्टम्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; कालाधिकरण (locative of time)

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

• विशेषेण: especially; in particular manner
• विशेषेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; करण/प्रकारवाचक (instrumental of manner)

• ब्रह्मकूर्चविधानतः: according to the rule of the brahmakūrca rite
• ब्रह्मकूर्चविधानतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ब्रह्म (प्रातिपदिक) + कूर्च (प्रातिपदिक) + विधान (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तसिल्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb) ‘-तः’; समासः तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्मकूर्चस्य विधानम्)

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

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

• कुरुते: does/performs
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• देवि: O Goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

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

• अश्वमेधफलम्: fruit of the Aśvamedha (sacrifice)
• अश्वमेधफलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वमेध (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अश्वमेधस्य फलम्)

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rāmeśvara (Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On Aṣṭamī, devotees perform a formal rite labeled Brahma-kūrca near the Rāmeśvara shrine: a small altar, kuśa grass arrangements, water vessels, and offerings; a radiant symbolic horse (Aśvamedha) appears as a metaphoric aura of merit above the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Aṣṭamī (tithi)
• Brahma-kūrca (rite)
• Aśvamedha (sacrifice)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time (tithi), method (vidhi), and sacred place together magnify spiritual merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Rāmeśvara-associated locale in Prabhāsakṣetra where the prescribed rite is performed.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observance on Aṣṭamī with performance according to the Brahma-kūrca ritual procedure.