Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

अज्ञानतिमिरध्वंसी षट्त्रिंशत्तत्त्वभूषणः । सर्वसौख्यप्रदाता च तत्रास्ते चंद्रशेखरः

Transliteration

ajñānatimiradhvaṃsī ṣaṭtriṃśattattvabhūṣaṇaḥ | sarvasaukhyapradātā ca tatrāste caṃdraśekharaḥ

Translation

അവിടെ ചന്ദ്രശേഖരൻ വസിക്കുന്നു—അജ്ഞാനതിമിരം നശിപ്പിക്കുന്നവൻ, ഷട്ത്രിംശത് തത്ത്വങ്ങളാൽ ഭൂഷിതൻ, സർവ്വസുഖദാതാവ്।

Word by Word

• अज्ञानतिमिरध्वंसी: destroyer of the darkness of ignorance
• अज्ञानतिमिरध्वंसी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अज्ञान-तिमिर-ध्वंसिन् (प्रातिपदिक; components: अज्ञान + तिमिर + ध्वंसिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (अज्ञानतिमिरस्य ध्वंसी)

• षट्त्रिंशत्तत्त्वभूषणः: adorned with the thirty-six principles (tattvas)
• षट्त्रिंशत्तत्त्वभूषणः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षट्-त्रिंशत्-तत्त्व-भूषण (प्रातिपदिक; components: षट् + त्रिंशत् + तत्त्व + भूषण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; द्विगु-तत्पुरुष (षट्त्रिंशत् तत्त्वानि यस्य भूषणानि/भूषणम्)

• सर्वसौख्यप्रदाता: giver of all happiness
• सर्वसौख्यप्रदाता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व-सौख्य-प्रदाता (प्रातिपदिक; components: सर्व + सौख्य + प्रदाता)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (सर्वसौख्यस्य प्रदाता)

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

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

• आस्ते: sits/dwells
• आस्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √आस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• चन्द्रशेखरः: Candraśekhara (Śiva, 'moon-crested')
• चन्द्रशेखरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्र-शेखर (प्रातिपदिक; components: चन्द्र + शेखर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (चन्द्रः शेखरः यस्य)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Somnātha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis of Naimiṣāraṇya (typical frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Candraśekhara seated in serene majesty at Prabhāsa, moon adorning his matted locks; his form radiates as the ‘lamp’ that destroys the darkness of ignorance, with subtle cosmic tattvas suggested as jeweled ornaments around him.

Characters & Entities

• Candraśekhara (Śiva)
• Tattvas (36 principles)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva at Prabhāsa is liberation-giving: he dispels ignorance and grants complete well-being, integrating metaphysical truth (tattvas) with lived auspiciousness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, where Candraśekhara (Śiva) is proclaimed as abiding and beneficent.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated in this verse; it asserts the deity’s presence and the spiritual benefits of approaching him there.