Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

पुच्छे तु वृश्चिकश्चैव सधनुश्च व्यवस्थितः । वायव्ये वामपादे च धनुर्ग्राहादिकं त्रयम्

Transliteration

pucche tu vṛścikaścaiva sadhanuśca vyavasthitaḥ | vāyavye vāmapāde ca dhanurgrāhādikaṃ trayam

Translation

ପୁଚ୍ଛରେ ବୃଶ୍ଚିକ ଓ ଧନୁ—ଦୁହେଁ ବ୍ୟବସ୍ଥିତ। ବାୟବ୍ୟ (ଉତ୍ତର-ପଶ୍ଚିମ) ଦିଗରେ ବାମ ପାଦରେ ଧନୁରୁ ଆରମ୍ଭ କରି ମକରାଦି ତ୍ରୟ ବିନ୍ୟସ୍ତ।

Word by Word

• pucche: in the tail
• pucche: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puccha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha/Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक-निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• vṛścikaḥ: Scorpio
• vṛścikaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛścika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha/Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (particle)

• sa-dhanuḥ: together with Sagittarius / with the bow
• sa-dhanuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sa (प्रातिपदिक/उपसर्गार्थ 'सह') + dhanuṣ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (सह-धनुः = धनुना सह/धनुर्धरः इत्यर्थे)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha/Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• vyavasthitaḥ: is situated
• vyavasthitaḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-ava-√sthā (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मणि (passive)

• vāyavye: in the northwest
• vāyavye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāyavya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; दिग्वाचक (northwest)

• vāma-pāde: in the left foot
• vāma-pāde: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāma (प्रातिपदिक) + pāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (वामः पादः)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha/Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• dhanuḥ-grāha-ādikam: the triad beginning with Sagittarius–Capricorn etc.
• dhanuḥ-grāha-ādikam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhanuṣ (प्रातिपदिक) + grāha (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (धनुः-ग्राहः = मकरः/Capricorn; तदादि)

• trayam: three (a triad)
• trayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: traya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; संख्यावाचक

Speaker

Deductive (Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya context): likely Skanda to Devī/Pārvatī.

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stylized tortoise/kshetra body: the tail labeled with Vṛścika and Dhanuṣ; the northwest left foot bearing a triad starting with Dhanuṣ and Makara; a scholar-priest points with a palm-leaf diagram while pilgrims listen.

Characters & Entities

• Vṛścika
• Dhanuḥ
• Makara (implied by grāha)
• Kūrma (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Directional and cosmic correspondences are taught to discern patterns of influence and to act with dharmic awareness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The discourse belongs to Prabhāsa-kṣetra’s glorification, though this verse focuses on the Kūrma-cakra layout.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it continues the rāśi placement description.