Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 75

Devanagari script

मंदवारे प्रदोषोऽयं दुर्लभः सर्वदेहिनाम् । तत्रापि दुर्लभतरः कृष्णपक्षे समागते

Transliteration

maṃdavāre pradoṣo'yaṃ durlabhaḥ sarvadehinām | tatrāpi durlabhataraḥ kṛṣṇapakṣe samāgate

Translation

मन्दवारे योऽयं प्रदोषः स सर्वदेहिनां दुर्लभः; कृष्णपक्षे समागते तत्रापि स प्रदोषो दुर्लभतरः।

Word by Word

• मन्दवारे: on Saturday
• मन्दवारे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्द-वार (प्रातिपदिक); मन्द + वार
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• प्रदोषः: pradoṣa (twilight observance)
• प्रदोषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रदोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; निर्देशवाचक

• दुर्लभः: rare, hard to obtain
• दुर्लभः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

• सर्वदेहिनाम्: of all embodied beings
• सर्वदेहिनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व-देहिन् (प्रातिपदिक); सर्व + देहिन्
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (‘सर्वे देहिनः’)

• तत्र: therein
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (locative adverb: there/in that)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अप्यर्थक अव्यय (even/also)

• दुर्लभतरः: still rarer
• दुर्लभतरः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तरप्-प्रत्यय (comparative)

• कृष्णपक्षे: in the dark fortnight
• कृष्णपक्षे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण-पक्ष (प्रातिपदिक); कृष्ण + पक्ष
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (dark fortnight)

• समागते: when it has arrived
• समागते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सति-सप्तमी)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute): ‘when (it) has come’

Speaker

Hanūmān

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maṇḍavā-sara (contextual)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calendrical-astral motif: moon (kṛṣṇa-pakṣa) over a lakeside Śiva shrine at dusk; devotees note the rare Monday pradoṣa, preparing lamps and offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Hanūmān
• Pradoṣa
• Kṛṣṇa-pakṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred timings (kāla-māhātmya) intensify the fruit of devotion; rare alignments are especially meritorious.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not directly; the chapter context links Pradoṣa worship to Maṇḍavā-saras.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observe/perform Śiva devotion on Pradoṣa, particularly when it falls on Maṇḍavāra (Monday) and in the Kṛṣṇa-pakṣa.