Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

प्रहरं तिष्ठते मल्ली करवीरमहर्निशम् । कीटकेशापविद्धानि रात्रौ पर्युषितानि च

Transliteration

praharaṃ tiṣṭhate mallī karavīramaharniśam | kīṭakeśāpaviddhāni rātrau paryuṣitāni ca

Translation

മല്ലി (മുല്ല) ഒരു പ്രഹരം വരെ പുതുമ നിലനിർത്തും; കരവീരപുഷ്പം പകലും രാത്രിയും നിലക്കും. കീടങ്ങളോ മുടിയോ മുതലായവകൊണ്ട് മലിനമായി തള്ളപ്പെട്ടതും, രാത്രി കിടന്ന് പഴകിയതുമായ പുഷ്പങ്ങളും ഒഴിവാക്കണം.

Word by Word

• praharaṃ: for a watch (three hours)
• praharaṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prahara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; कालपरिमाण-द्योतक (duration)

• tiṣṭhate: remains/stands
• tiṣṭhate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• mallī: mallī (jasmine)
• mallī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mallī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्ता

• karavīram: karavīra (oleander)
• karavīram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karavīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• ahar-niśam: day and night; continuously
• ahar-niśam: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ahar (प्रातिपदिक) + niśā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (adverb)

• kīṭa-keśa-apaviddhāni: thrown away/defiled by insects or hair
• kīṭa-keśa-apaviddhāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kīṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + keśa (प्रातिपदिक) + apa + vidh (धातु) + ta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त ‘अपविद्ध’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन; विशेषणम्; तत्पुरुष-समासः (कीटैः केशैः वा अपविद्धानि—‘कीट/केश-अपविद्ध’ इति समाहारः)

• rātrau: at night
• rātrau: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rātri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; कालाधिकरणम्

• paryuṣitāni: stale/kept overnight
• paryuṣitāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pari + vas (धातु) + ta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन; विशेषणम्; ‘पर्युषित’ = ‘रात्रिं स्थित/बासीभूत’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating (deduced from Purāṇic māhātmya frame in Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Someśvara at Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A priest examines blossoms closely, discarding insect-bitten or hair-tainted flowers; separate baskets show fresh mallī for immediate use and karavīra kept for longer duration.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa-kṣetra
• Someśvara (Somanātha)
• Mallī
• Karavīra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Offerings should be fresh and undefiled; inner devotion is mirrored by outer purity and care.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, through practical rules for worship of Someśvara/Somanātha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Guidelines on flower freshness and impurity: mallī lasts one prahara, karavīra lasts day and night; reject insect/hair-defiled and overnight-stale flowers.