Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

अष्टम्यां च चतुर्दश्यां तद्दध्ना स्नापयेद्यदि । स ब्राह्मणश्चतुर्वेदो जायते नात्र संशयः

Transliteration

aṣṭamyāṃ ca caturdaśyāṃ taddadhnā snāpayedyadi | sa brāhmaṇaścaturvedo jāyate nātra saṃśayaḥ

Translation

അഷ്ടമിയും ചതുര്ദശിയും ദിനങ്ങളിൽ ആ തൈരാൽ (ലിംഗത്തിന്) അഭിഷേകം ചെയ്താൽ, അവൻ സംശയമില്ലാതെ ചതുര്‍വേദജ്ഞനായ ബ്രാഹ്മണനായി ജന്മം പ്രാപിക്കും.

Word by Word

• aṣṭamyām: on the eighth (tithi)
• aṣṭamyām: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṣṭamī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• caturdaśyām: on the fourteenth (tithi)
• caturdaśyām: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caturdaśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• tat: that
• tat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (dadhnaḥ इत्यस्य निर्देशः)

• dadhna: with curd
• dadhna: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dadhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• snāpayet: should cause (someone) to bathe
• snāpayet: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (धातु) + ṇic (प्रेरण)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; णिजन्त (causative)

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Condition marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्त-अव्यय (conditional particle)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• brāhmaṇaḥ: a brāhmaṇa
• brāhmaṇaḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• caturvedaḥ: knower of the four Vedas / four-Vedic
• caturvedaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + veda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (संख्यापूर्वपद: ‘चार वेद’)

• jāyate: is born / becomes
• jāyate: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• atra: here / in this matter
• atra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• saṃśayaḥ: doubt
• saṃśayaḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃśaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Unknown (instructional māhātmya voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Varuṇeśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Varānane / surasundarī (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A priest or devotee pours thick white curd over the liṅga on a night marked by the moon’s phase; lamps flicker, and a lunar calendar motif indicates aṣṭamī and caturdaśī.

Characters & Entities

• Varuṇeśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual devotion performed at a praised kṣetra, aligned with sacred tithis, is said to yield profound dhārmic merit and refinement of birth and learning.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Varuṇeśvara-liṅga worship in Prabhāsa Kṣetra, within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Abhiṣeka/snāpana of the liṅga with curd (dadhi) on Aṣṭamī and Caturdaśī tithis.