Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

स तं स्मृत्वा प्रभावं हि प्रदक्षिणासमुद्भवम् । अचलेश्वरमासाद्य प्रदक्षिणामथाकरोत्

Transliteration

sa taṃ smṛtvā prabhāvaṃ hi pradakṣiṇāsamudbhavam | acaleśvaramāsādya pradakṣiṇāmathākarot

Translation

ପ୍ରଦକ୍ଷିଣାରୁ ଜନ୍ମିଥିବା ସେଇ ପ୍ରଭାବକୁ ସ୍ମରଣ କରି ସେ ଅଚଲେଶ୍ୱରଙ୍କୁ ଆଶ୍ରୟ କଲା ଏବଂ ପରେ ଭକ୍ତିରେ ପ୍ରଦକ୍ଷିଣା କଲା।

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• तम्: him/that (object)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• स्मृत्वा: having remembered
• स्मृत्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial to main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), ‘having remembered’

• प्रभावम्: power, glory
• प्रभावम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha/Avadhāraṇa (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय; emphasis/indeed

• प्रदक्षिणा-समुद्भवम्: arising from circumambulation
• प्रदक्षिणा-समुद्भवम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective of प्रभावम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pradakṣiṇā (प्रातिपदिक) + samudbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/उपपद-तत्पुरुषार्थः ‘प्रदक्षिणायाः समुद्भवः’ (arising from circumambulation)

• अचलेश्वरम्: Acaleśvara (a form/name of Śiva)
• अचलेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: acala (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘अचलस्य ईश्वरः’ (Lord of Acala/Acaleśvara)

• आसाद्य: having approached
• आसाद्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial to main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-sad (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त-समकक्ष अव्यय (gerund), ‘having approached/reached’

• प्रदक्षिणाम्: circumambulation
• प्रदक्षिणाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pradakṣiṇā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रमसूचक (then/thereupon)

• अकरोत्: did, performed
• अकरोत्: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic storyteller within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Acaleśvara

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahārāja (king) addressed

Visual Art Cues

Scene: King Veṇu arrives at a Śiva shrine of Acaleśvara and begins circumambulating the liṅga/temple, hands folded, attendants behind, the path forming a luminous circle.

Characters & Entities

• Acaleśvara
• King Veṇu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pradakṣiṇā is presented as a potent devotional act that generates spiritual power and transforms one’s destiny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Acaleśvara (a Śiva shrine) in the Arbuda region is directly glorified.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform pradakṣiṇā—circumambulating the deity/shrine with reverence.