Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

परिपाल्या प्रयत्नेन यावच्चंद्रार्कतारकम् । तस्माद्युष्माकमादिष्टा प्रतिमेयं मया शुभा

Transliteration

paripālyā prayatnena yāvaccaṃdrārkatārakam | tasmādyuṣmākamādiṣṭā pratimeyaṃ mayā śubhā

Translation

चंद्र-सूर्य-तारे ज्या काळापर्यंत टिकतील, त्या काळापर्यंत हिचे प्रयत्नपूर्वक रक्षण करावे. म्हणून ही शुभ प्रतिमा जपण्याची व सांभाळण्याची आज्ञा मी तुम्हांस दिली आहे.

Word by Word

• परिपाल्या: should be protected
• परिपाल्या: Vidhi (Obligation/विधि)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि + पाल् (धातु) → परिपाल्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्तः—यत्/तव्यत्-अर्थक (gerundive/obligatory participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘परिपाल्या (अस्ति)’ = to be protected

• प्रयत्नेन: with effort
• प्रयत्नेन: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• यावत्: as long as/until
• यावत्: Kala-adhikarana (Time limit/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/सम्बन्ध-शब्द)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधिवाचक (until/as long as)

• चन्द्रार्कतारकम्: the moon, sun, and stars (i.e., as long as they last)
• चन्द्रार्कतारकम्: Kala-adhikarana (Temporal extent/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्र + अर्क + तारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (चन्द्रः च अर्कः च तारकाः च)

• तस्मात्: therefore/from that
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative) एकवचनार्थे ‘therefore/from that’

• युष्माकम्: of you (plural)
• युष्माकम्: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• आदिष्टा: (was) instructed/ordered
• आदिष्टा: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + दिश् (धातु) → आदिष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्तः—क्त (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि ‘आदिष्टा (अभूत्)’ = was instructed/commanded

• प्रतिमेयम्: the image/idol
• प्रतिमेयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रतिमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Agent-in-passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया, एकवचन

• शुभा: auspicious
• शुभा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (आदिष्टा/प्रतिमा implied)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (deduced from immediate context of the adhyāya dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāgarāditya/Nāgarārka (Sūrya) at Someśapura in Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king or patron formally entrusts an auspicious solar image to brāhmaṇas, commanding its protection ‘as long as sun, moon, and stars endure’; the icon is central, with ritual vessels and lamps.

Characters & Entities

• the sacred image (Nāgarāditya/Nāgarabhāskara implied)
• celestial bodies (moon, sun, stars)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-glory is sustained through seva: protecting and maintaining the deity’s image is a lasting dharmic responsibility.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where the auspicious image is to be preserved.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A clear injunction of paripālana—ongoing protection/maintenance of the installed pratimā (temple stewardship).