Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

अथागमंस्ततो विप्रास्तत्र क्षेत्रनिवासिनः । दक्षिणार्थं महदेवि शतशोऽथ सहस्रशः

Transliteration

athāgamaṃstato viprāstatra kṣetranivāsinaḥ | dakṣiṇārthaṃ mahadevi śataśo'tha sahasraśaḥ

Translation

അപ്പോൾ, ഹേ മഹാദേവീ, ആ ക്ഷേത്രപ്രദേശത്ത് വസിക്കുന്ന ബ്രാഹ്മണർ ദക്ഷിണയ്ക്കായി നൂറുകളായും ആയിരങ്ങളായും അവിടെ എത്തി.

Word by Word

• अथ: then/now
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आरम्भ/अनन्तरार्थक (particle: then/now)

• आगमन्: (they) came
• आगमन्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ√गम् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; ‘they came’

• ततः: thereafter/from there
• ततः: Adhikarana (Temporal/स्थान-कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादान/काल/क्रमसूचक (from there/thereafter)

• विप्राः: brahmins
• विप्राः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

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

• क्षेत्रनिवासिनः: residents of the sacred field
• क्षेत्रनिवासिनः: Karta (Subject apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र + निवासिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘क्षेत्रस्य निवासिनः’)

• दक्षिणार्थम्: for (receiving) priestly fee/donation
• दक्षिणार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिणा + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; चतुर्थी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषभावः (‘दक्षिणायै अर्थः’ = for the fee)

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (‘महती देवी’)

• शतशः: by hundreds
• शतशः: Vishesana (Adverbial qualifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शतशस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/संख्या-वाचक (in hundreds)

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरनन्तरार्थक (then)

• सहस्रशः: by thousands
• सहस्रशः: Vishesana (Adverbial qualifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहस्रशस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/संख्या-वाचक (in thousands)

Speaker

Śiva (deduced; addressing 'mahādevi')

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī / Pārvatī (explicit 'mahādevi')

Visual Art Cues

Scene: After the yajña, streams of brāhmaṇas from the Prabhāsa region arrive in large numbers, hands extended in formal request for dakṣiṇā; the yajña pavilion stands behind them with extinguishing fires and arranged vessels.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas (viprāḥ)
• Dakṣiṇā
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra
• Mahādevī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Yajña is paired with dāna; supporting officiants through dakṣiṇā is treated as an integral limb of ritual dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where residents gather around the completed sacrifice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Giving dakṣiṇā (sacrificial honorarium/charity) to brāhmaṇas after the yajña.