Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

मित्रवच्च भगस्त्वष्टा सहस्रेण शतेन च । उत्तरोपक्रमेऽर्कस्य वर्धन्ते रश्मयः सदा । दक्षिणोपक्रमे भूयो ह्रसन्ते सूर्यरश्मयः

Transliteration

mitravacca bhagastvaṣṭā sahasreṇa śatena ca | uttaropakrame'rkasya vardhante raśmayaḥ sadā | dakṣiṇopakrame bhūyo hrasante sūryaraśmayaḥ

Translation

మిత్ర, భగ, త్వష్టృ మొదలైనవారు—మొత్తం వెయ్యి నూరు—సూర్యశక్తులే. సూర్యుని ఉత్తరాయణ గమనంలో కిరణాలు నిత్యం పెరుగుతాయి; దక్షిణాయణంలో సూర్యకిరణాలు మళ్లీ తగ్గుతాయి.

Word by Word

• mitra-vat: like Mitra
• mitra-vat: Kriya-visheshana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mitra (प्रातिपदिक) + vat (तद्धित)
• Form: अव्ययवत्-प्रयोग (वत्-प्रत्ययान्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपमान-विशेषण

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक निपात

• bhagaḥ: Bhaga
• bhagaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tvaṣṭā: Tvaṣṭṛ
• tvaṣṭā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvaṣṭṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• sahasreṇa: by a thousand
• sahasreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• śatena: by a hundred
• śatena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक निपात

• uttara-upakrame: in the northern course/transition
• uttara-upakrame: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uttara (प्रातिपदिक) + upakrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-सम्भव (उत्तरोऽयम् उपक्रमः)

• arkasya: of the Sun
• arkasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: arka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• vardhante: increase
• vardhante: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vṛdh (धातु)
• Form: लट्, आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• raśmayaḥ: rays
• raśmayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: raśmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• dakṣiṇa-upakrame: in the southern course/transition
• dakṣiṇa-upakrame: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dakṣiṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + upakrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (दक्षिणः उपक्रमः)

• bhūyaḥ: again/more
• bhūyaḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhūyas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, पुनरर्थक/अधिक्यवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• hrasante: decrease
• hrasante: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √hras (धातु)
• Form: लट्, आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• sūrya-raśmayaḥ: sun-rays
• sūrya-raśmayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūrya (प्रातिपदिक) + raśmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (सूर्यस्य रश्मयः)

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa Kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sāṃba / Yādava addressee (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic diagram-like scene: Sūrya’s orb with rays expanding during uttarāyaṇa and contracting during dakṣiṇāyana; attendant Ādityas (Mitra, Bhaga, Tvaṣṭṛ, etc.) arranged around the solar disc like a mandala.

Characters & Entities

• Mitra
• Bhaga
• Tvaṣṭṛ
• Arka (Sun)
• Sūrya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It links cosmic order to dharma: the Sun’s ordained courses symbolize a regulated universe where worship aligns human life with ṛta (sacred order).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra (Prabhāsatīrtha region), where Sūrya is praised in connection with Sāṃbāditya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; the verse explains the Sun’s northern and southern courses as a sacred cosmological teaching.