Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

अयने चोत्तरे प्राप्ते यः कुर्याद्घृतकंबलम् । न स भूयोऽत्र संसारे जन्म प्राप्नोति दारुणम्

Transliteration

ayane cottare prāpte yaḥ kuryādghṛtakaṃbalam | na sa bhūyo'tra saṃsāre janma prāpnoti dāruṇam

Translation

ഉത്തരായണം വന്നപ്പോൾ ‘ഘൃതകംബലം’ എന്ന പേരിലുള്ള ഘൃതദാനം/ഹോമം ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ ഈ സംസാരചക്രത്തിൽ വീണ്ടും ഭീകരജന്മം പ്രാപിക്കുകയില്ല.

Word by Word

• अयने: in the ayana (solstitial period)
• अयने: Adhikarana (Time-locative/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कालवाचक (at the solstice/ayana)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयार्थक)

• उत्तरे: in the northern (uttara)
• उत्तरे: Visheshana (Modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘अयने’ इत्यस्य विशेषण (in the northern)

• प्राप्ते: when (it) has arrived
• प्राप्ते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + √आप् (धातु)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (locative absolute sense: when attained/arrived)

• यः: whoever
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कुर्यात्: should do
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• घृतकंबलम्: a ghee-blanket (ghṛta-kaṃbala)
• घृतकंबलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: घृत (प्रातिपदिक) + कंबल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म (a ghee-blanket/covering made with ghee; ritual item)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध/negation)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भूयः: again
• भूयः: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भूयः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (पुनरर्थक/adverb: again)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक/locative adverb)

• संसारे: in worldly existence
• संसारे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संसार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• जन्म: birth
• जन्म: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्राप्नोति इत्यस्य कर्म

• प्राप्नोति: attains
• प्राप्नोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + √आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• दारुणम्: terrible
• दारुणम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दारुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘जन्म’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (uttarāyaṇa observance)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At dawn of uttarāyaṇa, pilgrims assemble with ghee vessels and a folded cloth bundle (kambala) for donation; the sun is shown beginning its northward course; temple flags flutter in coastal wind.

Characters & Entities

• Uttarāyaṇa
• Mahākāleśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Timely charity aligned with sacred calendrical moments (uttarāyaṇa) is said to lessen saṃsāric suffering and prevent dreadful rebirth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is the Mahākāleśvara/Kāleśvara sacred complex in Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performing ‘ghṛta-kambala’ during uttarāyaṇa—an offering/charitable act associated with ghee and formally named in the tradition.