Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

मृगचर्मोपरिस्थं च मंत्रैरेभिर्विधानतः । स्नापयेत्प्राङ्मुखं शांतं शुक्लवस्त्रावगुंठितम्

Transliteration

mṛgacarmoparisthaṃ ca maṃtrairebhirvidhānataḥ | snāpayetprāṅmukhaṃ śāṃtaṃ śuklavastrāvaguṃṭhitam

Translation

मृगचर्मोपरिस्थं प्राङ्मुखं शान्तं शुक्लवस्त्रावगुण्ठितं यजमानं, एभिर्मन्त्रैर्विधानतः स्नापयेत्।

Word by Word

• मृगचर्म-उपरिस्थम्: placed upon a deerskin
• मृगचर्म-उपरिस्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृगचर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + उपरिस्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (neuter, nominative/accusative singular; adjective)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• मन्त्रैः: with mantras
• मन्त्रैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन (masculine, instrumental plural)

• एभिः: with these
• एभिः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (masculine, instrumental plural; demonstrative adjective)

• विधानतः: according to the prescribed procedure
• विधानतः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विधानतः (अव्यय)
• Form: रीत्यर्थक-अव्यय/क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner: 'according to rule')

• स्नापयेत्: should bathe (cause to be bathed)
• स्नापयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु) [णिच्]
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative: 'cause to bathe')

• प्राङ्मुखम्: facing east
• प्राङ्मुखम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राङ्मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (neuter, accusative singular; adjective)

• शान्तम्: calm/appeased
• शान्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शान्त (प्रातिपदिक; √शम् शान्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त/कृदन्त-विशेषण (past participle used adjectivally)

• शुक्लवस्त्र-अवगुण्ठितम्: covered with a white cloth
• शुक्लवस्त्र-अवगुण्ठितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुक्ल (प्रातिपदिक) + वस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + अवगुण्ठित (प्रातिपदिक; √गुण्ठ्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त-विशेषण (neuter accusative singular; 'covered/veiled with white cloth')

Speaker

Deductively: a Purāṇic narrator/instructor addressing a king

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (nṛpoत्तम)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The yajamāna sits on a deer-skin, facing east, calm and veiled in white; priests pour sanctified water while chanting mantras, completing the rite with a gentle abhiṣeka.

Characters & Entities

• mṛgacarma (deer-skin)
• east-facing (prāṅmukha)
• white cloth (śukla-vastra)
• mantras

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification (snāna) guided by mantra and calmness (śānti) prepares the devotee to receive divine protection and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The rite is taught within Arbuda-kṣetra’s Skanda Purāṇa setting, integrating local sacredness with dhārmic practice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathe the yajamāna per mantra-vidhi while he sits on deer-skin, faces east, and is covered in white cloth.