Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

नमो नित्यं क्षुधार्त्ताय नित्यतप्ताय वै नमः । नमः कालाग्निरूपाय कृतांतक नमोस्तु ते

Transliteration

namo nityaṃ kṣudhārttāya nityataptāya vai namaḥ | namaḥ kālāgnirūpāya kṛtāṃtaka namostu te

Translation

ନିତ୍ୟ କ୍ଷୁଧାର୍ତ୍ତ, ନିତ୍ୟ ତପ୍ତ ଥିବା ପ୍ରଭୁଙ୍କୁ ନମସ୍କାର। କାଳାଗ୍ନିରୂପ, ହେ କୃତାନ୍ତକ, ଆପଣଙ୍କୁ ନମସ୍କାର।

Word by Word

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana/Prayojana (Salutation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोग; नमस्कारार्थक

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Avyaya (Temporal modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्यम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• क्षुधार्ताय: to (him) afflicted by hunger
• क्षुधार्ताय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षुधा + आर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

• नित्यतप्ताय: to (him) ever-heated/ever-tormented
• नित्यतप्ताय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नित्य + तप्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

• वै: indeed
• वै: Avyaya (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक/पादपूरण (emphatic particle)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana/Prayojana (Salutation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोग; नमस्कारार्थक

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana/Prayojana (Salutation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोग; नमस्कारार्थक

• कालाग्निरूपाय: to (him) whose form is the fire of Time
• कालाग्निरूपाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काल + अग्नि + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

• कृतान्तक: O Kṛtāntaka (slayer of Death)
• कृतान्तक: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृतान्तक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana/Prayojana (Salutation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोग; नमस्कारार्थक

• अस्तु: let it be
• अस्तु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative/benedictive sense), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Genitive/Dative), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम; अत्र चतुर्थी (to you) प्रायः

Speaker

Narrative voice within Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya (deductively: Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The king’s addressed deity/being; and the māhātmya audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king salutes a being portrayed as ever-hungry, ever-scorched, embodying the fire of Time—Kṛtānta—suggesting a personified Death/Time deity with blazing yet austere presence.

Characters & Entities

• Śanaiścara (Saturn)
• Kāla (Time)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time and karma ‘burn’ away pride; recognizing the austere, consuming power behind suffering encourages restraint, repentance, and steady dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where graha-related worship and remembrance are framed as especially potent within the māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it supports japa/recitation as a devotional act for graha-śānti.