Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

दक्षिणामूर्तिमास्थाय यत्किंचित्तत्र दीयते । अघोरेश्वरदेवस्य तत्सर्वं चाक्षयं भवेत्

Transliteration

dakṣiṇāmūrtimāsthāya yatkiṃcittatra dīyate | aghoreśvaradevasya tatsarvaṃ cākṣayaṃ bhavet

Translation

ദക്ഷിണാമൂർത്തിയെ ശരണം പ്രാപിച്ച് അവിടെ എന്തെങ്കിലും ദാനം ചെയ്താൽ, അത് അഘോരേശ്വര ദേവനോടുള്ള അർപ്പണമായി മുഴുവനായും അക്ഷയമാകും।

Word by Word

• दक्षिणामूर्तिम्: Dakṣiṇāmūrti (southern-facing form)
• दक्षिणामूर्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिणा + मूर्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• आस्थाय: having resorted to
• आस्थाय: Purvakāla-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ-स्था (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त्वा/ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund): आस्थाय = having resorted to/approached

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम

• किञ्चित्: anything, something
• किञ्चित्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); अनिश्चित-प्रमाण (indefinite)

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

• दीयते: is given
• दीयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), आत्मनेपद

• अघोरेश्वरदेवस्य: of Lord Aghoreśvara
• अघोरेश्वरदेवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अघोरेश्वर + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• सर्वम्: all of it
• सर्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम्

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय-बोधक (conjunction)

• अक्षयम्: imperishable, inexhaustible
• अक्षयम्: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अक्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम्

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aghoreśvara (within Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A donor stands before a serene Dakṣiṇāmūrti icon—Śiva seated as teacher—while the Aghoreśvara liṅga/shrine is nearby; offerings are placed with solemn saṅkalpa, suggesting ‘akṣaya’ radiance around the gift.

Characters & Entities

• Dakṣiṇāmūrti
• Aghoreśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity offered with right spiritual orientation (Śiva as Dakṣiṇāmūrti) becomes akṣaya—an inexhaustible store of merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Aghoreśvara’s sacred precinct within Prabhāsakṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna (giving/charity) at the site, undertaken with devotion and refuge in Dakṣiṇāmūrti.