Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

उत्तरं दक्षिणं चापि अयनं न विचारयेत् । सर्वस्तेषां शुभः कालो ये मृताः क्षेत्रमध्यतः

Transliteration

uttaraṃ dakṣiṇaṃ cāpi ayanaṃ na vicārayet | sarvasteṣāṃ śubhaḥ kālo ye mṛtāḥ kṣetramadhyataḥ

Translation

ഉത്തരായണമോ ദക്ഷിണായണമോ എന്നു വിചാരിക്കേണ്ട. ഈ പുണ്യക്ഷേത്രത്തിന്റെ മദ്ധ്യത്തിൽ ദേഹം വിട്ടവർക്ക് എല്ലാ കാലവും ശുഭമാണ്.

Word by Word

• uttaram: the northern (direction)
• uttaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uttara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; दिक्-नाम (north)

• dakṣiṇam: the southern (direction)
• dakṣiṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dakṣiṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; दिक्-नाम (south)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha-bodhaka (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle): ‘also/even’

• ayanam: the (sun’s) course/solstice
• ayanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ayana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘अयन’ (course/solstice)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• vicārayet: should consider/examine
• vicārayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + car (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘विचारयेत्’ = should consider

• sarvaḥ: entire, wholly
• sarvaḥ: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (predicate)

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• śubhaḥ: auspicious
• śubhaḥ: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

• kālaḥ: time
• kālaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• ye: who (those who)
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम

• mṛtāḥ: dead, having died
• mṛtāḥ: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mṛ (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• kṣetra-madhyataḥ: from within the middle of the sacred area
• kṣetra-madhyataḥ: Adhikarana/Apadana nuance (Location/Source/अधिकरण/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक) + madhya (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तसिल्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तसिलन्त अव्यय; अव्ययीभाव-समासः (‘क्षेत्रस्य मध्यतः’ = from/in the middle of the field)

Speaker

Śiva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at Prabhāsa within the kṣetra-boundary, with the sun shown in both northern and southern courses as irrelevant, while the kṣetra radiates steady light; attendants perform calm last rites near the sacred precinct.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Pārvatī
• Uttarāyaṇa
• Dakṣiṇāyaṇa
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In an exceptionally potent kṣetra, divine grace overrides ordinary auspicious-time calculations; holiness itself sanctifies the moment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The central region (kṣetra-madhya) of Prabhāsa-kṣetra, described as granting auspiciousness irrespective of seasonal solar transitions.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A practical rule is implied: do not rely on uttarāyaṇa/dakṣiṇāyaṇa considerations for auspiciousness when the death occurs within the kṣetra’s center.