Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

कृष्णाष्टम्यां विशेषेण गुग्गुलं घृतसंयुतम् । यो दहेद्विधिवत्तत्र पूजां कृत्वा निशागमे

Transliteration

kṛṣṇāṣṭamyāṃ viśeṣeṇa guggulaṃ ghṛtasaṃyutam | yo dahedvidhivattatra pūjāṃ kṛtvā niśāgame

Translation

പ്രത്യേകിച്ച് കൃഷ്ണാഷ്ടമിയിൽ, സന്ധ്യാസമയത്ത് അവിടെ പൂജ ചെയ്ത്, നെയ്യോടുകൂടിയ ഗുഗ്ഗുലു വിധിപൂർവ്വം ദഹിപ്പിക്കുന്നവൻ—

Word by Word

• कृष्णाष्टम्याम्: on Kṛṣṇāṣṭamī (the 8th lunar day of the dark fortnight)
• कृष्णाष्टम्याम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्णाष्टमी (प्रातिपदिक) [कृष्ण + अष्टमी]
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; कालवाचक-सप्तमी (on the occasion of)

• विशेषेण: especially
• विशेषेण: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverbial instrumental usage)

• गुग्गुलम्: guggulu (resin/incense)
• गुग्गुलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुग्गुलु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; कर्मपद

• घृतसंयुतम्: mixed with ghee
• घृतसंयुतम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घृत (प्रातिपदिक) + संयुत (कृदन्त; √युज् (धातु) क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण (mixed/combined with)

• यः: who (whoever)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• दहेत्: should burn (offer by burning)
• दहेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दह् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष? (actually 3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; विध्यर्थ (should burn)

• विधिवत्: according to rule
• विधिवत्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb)

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

• पूजाम्: worship
• पूजाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कृत्वा-योगे कर्म

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• निशागमे: at the coming of night
• निशागमे: Adhikarana (Time-locative/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निशागम (प्रातिपदिक) [निशा + आगम]
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कालवाचक-सप्तमी (at nightfall)

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa Mahākāla/Bhairava worship (Kṛṣṇāṣṭamī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nightfall in the shrine courtyard: devotee offers dhūpa; thick aromatic guggulu smoke curls around the liṅga and lamps; moonless/dark fortnight ambiance; priests performing orderly rites.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇāṣṭamī
• Guggulu
• Ghṛta (ghee)
• Mahākāleśvara (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time-sacralized worship (specific tithi and evening) combined with proper offerings intensifies devotion and purificatory merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Mahākāleśvara shrine-area in Prabhāsa-kṣetra (immediate context).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

On Kṛṣṇāṣṭamī, perform evening worship and burn guggulu mixed with ghee as a prescribed offering.