Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 142

Devanagari script

पञ्चमं प्रहरो यत्र षष्ठमारण्यकं तथा । निधनं सप्तमं साम्नां सप्तसिद्धिमिति स्मृतम्

Transliteration

pañcamaṃ praharo yatra ṣaṣṭhamāraṇyakaṃ tathā | nidhanaṃ saptamaṃ sāmnāṃ saptasiddhimiti smṛtam

Translation

Dalam rangkaian itu, yang kelima dinamai “Prahara”, yang keenam “Āraṇyaka”, dan yang ketujuh “Nidhana” di antara nyanyian Sāman—ini dikenang sebagai “saptasiddhi”, yakni pencapaian tujuh lipat.

Word by Word

• पञ्चमम्: the fifth
• पञ्चमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषण

• प्रहरः: prāhara (a watch/period)
• प्रहरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रहर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• षष्ठम्: the sixth
• षष्ठम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषण

• आरण्यकम्: Āraṇyaka (text/section)
• आरण्यकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आरण्यक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Modifier (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: likewise)

• निधनम्: nidhana (conclusion)
• निधनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; अत्र क्रमवाच्यं (सप्तमं इत्यस्य विशेष्य)

• सप्तमम्: the seventh
• सप्तमम्: Modifier (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषण

• साम्नाम्: of the Sāmans
• साम्नाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• सप्तसिद्धिम्: the sevenfold attainment
• सप्तसिद्धिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्त + सिद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (सप्तानां सिद्धिः)

• इति: thus
• इति: Discourse marker (उद्धरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरणार्थक-अव्यय

• स्मृतम्: is remembered/said
• स्मृतम्: Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya dialogue style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A schematic-like sacred diagram of seven stages of sāman accomplishment, with the teacher pointing to each named segment; forest (āraṇyaka) imagery blending into a ritual hall, ending in a quiet ‘nidhana’ closure.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa-kṣetra
• Sāman (Sāmaveda chants)
• Saptasiddhi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Vedic sound (Sāman) is presented as a structured, sanctifying practice whose perfected form leads to ‘siddhi’ (spiritual accomplishment).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, praised in the Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya section of the Skanda Purāṇa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A classification of Sāman portions (including prahara, āraṇyaka, nidhana) as part of a sevenfold sacred scheme used for disciplined japa/recitation.