Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

जीमूतस्येव भवति प्रत्येकं कवचं यजेत् । धन्वन्नागा धन्वनेति अनेनास्त्रं सदाऽर्चयेत्

Transliteration

jīmūtasyeva bhavati pratyekaṃ kavacaṃ yajet | dhanvannāgā dhanvaneti anenāstraṃ sadā'rcayet

Translation

Ia menjadi laksana awan hujan, sebagai selubung perlindungan; hendaklah setiap kavaca (lapisan pelindung) dipuja satu demi satu. Dengan rumusan «dhanvannāgā dhanvane», hendaklah Astra (senjata suci) sentiasa dipuja.

Word by Word

• जीमूतस्य: of a cloud
• जीमूतस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जीमूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• इव: like
• इव: Sambandha (Comparison/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमा-अव्यय (comparative particle)

• भवति: becomes/is
• भवति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु; सत्तायाम्)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• प्रत्येकम्: each (separately)
• प्रत्येकम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रत्येक (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: ‘each time/individually’)

• कवचम्: armor (kavaca)
• कवचम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कवच (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• यजेत्: should worship
• यजेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √यज् (धातु; देवपूजासङ्गतिकरणदानेषु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• धन्वन्: ‘dhanvan’ (mantric word)
• धन्वन्: Karma (Uttered formula/मन्त्रपद)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धन्वन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; मन्त्र-उच्चारण-पद

• नागाः: nāgas/serpents (as mantra-word)
• नागाः: Karma (Uttered formula/मन्त्रपद)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; मन्त्र-उच्चारण-पद

• धन्वने: to/for dhanvan (mantric)
• धन्वने: Sampradana (Purpose/recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धन्वन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान/अर्थ), एकवचन; मन्त्र-उच्चारण-पद

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-समाप्ति-निपात

• अनेन: with this
• अनेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अस्त्रम्: the astra (weapon-mantra)
• अस्त्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: काल-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• अर्चयेत्: should worship
• अर्चयेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अर्च् (धातु; पूजायाम्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa māhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (addressed as ‘devi’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual altar in Prabhāsa: the sādhaka offers flowers and incense to successive ‘kavaca’ layers visualized as concentric shields, while an Astra emblem (weapon-symbol) is enthroned and adored; above, a monsoon cloud forms a protective canopy.

Characters & Entities

• Astra (mantra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual protection is cultivated by careful, repeated devotion—kavaca and astra symbolize disciplined guarding of body and mind.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, portrayed as a field where protective mantra-worship yields strong safeguarding merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship kavaca components individually and continually worship the astra using the cited mantra-phrase.