Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 112

Devanagari script

वृषाकपिं तथैन्द्रं च बह्वृचः पूर्वतोऽजपन् । रुद्रान्पुरुषसूक्तं च क्रोकाध्यायं च वैक्रियम्

Transliteration

vṛṣākapiṃ tathaindraṃ ca bahvṛcaḥ pūrvato'japan | rudrānpuruṣasūktaṃ ca krokādhyāyaṃ ca vaikriyam

Translation

पूर्व दिशेला ऋग्वेदी बह्वृचांनी वृषाकपी व ऐंद्र सूक्तांचा जप केला. त्यांनी रुद्रसूक्त, पुरुषसूक्त तसेच क्रोकाध्याय व वैक्रिय यांचाही पाठ केला।

Word by Word

• वृषाकपिम्: Vṛṣākapi (hymn)
• वृषाकपिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृषाकपि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Accusative singular (name of a hymn)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — manner adverb

• ऐन्द्रम्: Aindra (hymn)
• ऐन्द्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऐन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Accusative singular (Aindra hymn)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय — conjunction

• बह्वृचः: the Bahvṛcas (Ṛgvedic priests)
• बह्वृचः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बह्वृच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Nominative plural (Ṛgvedins)

• पूर्वतः: to the east/in front
• पूर्वतः: Desha-adhikarana (Locative sense/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय — directional adverb ‘to the east/in front’

• अजपन्: recited
• अजपन्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √जप् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद — Imperfect, 3rd pl

• रुद्रान्: Rudra (hymns)
• रुद्रान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन — Accusative plural (Rudra-hymns)

• पुरुष-सूक्तम्: Puruṣa-sūkta hymn
• पुरुष-सूक्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक) + सूक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Accusative singular; तत्पुरुषः ‘पुरुषस्य सूक्तम्’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय — conjunction

• क्रोक-अध्यायम्: Kroka chapter/recitation
• क्रोक-अध्यायम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रोक (प्रातिपदिक) + अध्याय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Accusative singular; तत्पुरुषः (नामसमास)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय — conjunction

• वैक्रियम्: Vaikriya (recitation/section)
• वैक्रियम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैक्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Accusative singular (name of a text/section)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the eastern side of the fire-altar, Ṛg-vedic priests sit facing west toward the kuṇḍa, chanting with raised hands; the dawn-like light emphasizes the east; symbolic motifs of Indra (vajra), Rudra (trident/fiery aura), and the cosmic Puruṣa (vast, subtle form) appear as visionary overlays.

Characters & Entities

• Bahvṛcas (Ṛgvedins)
• Indra (Aindra)
• Rudra
• Puruṣa-sūkta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Vedic sound (mantra) is treated as a living force that sanctifies space when properly deployed in ritual directions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where Vedic hymns are portrayed as especially efficacious for sanctification.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Eastern placement of Ṛgvedic priests reciting specific hymns, including Rudra and Puruṣa-sūkta.