Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

प्रासादेऽस्मिन्पुरा पक्षी शुकोऽहं स्थितवांस्तदा । कृतवांश्च तदा देवं प्रदक्षिणामहर्निशम्

Transliteration

prāsāde'sminpurā pakṣī śuko'haṃ sthitavāṃstadā | kṛtavāṃśca tadā devaṃ pradakṣiṇāmaharniśam

Translation

กาลก่อน ณ ปราสาทศักดิ์สิทธิ์นี้เอง ข้าพเจ้าเคยเป็นนก—นกแก้ว—พำนักอยู่ ณ ที่นี้ ครั้งนั้นข้าพเจ้ากระทำประทักษิณาเวียนรอบเทวะองค์นี้ทั้งกลางวันและกลางคืน

Word by Word

• प्रासादे: in the palace/temple
• प्रासादे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रासाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• पुरा: formerly, once
• पुरा: Kala-adhikarana (Temporal/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb of time)

• पक्षी: a bird
• पक्षी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पक्षिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• शुकः: a parrot
• शुकः: Karta (Appositional subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; अपपद-सम्बन्ध (apposition to ‘पक्षी’)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• स्थितवान्: had stayed, was situated
• स्थितवान्: Kriya (Participial predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्तवतु-प्रत्ययान्त (Past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘having stayed/been’

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kala-adhikarana (Temporal/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb of time)

• कृतवान्: did, performed
• कृतवान्: Kriya (Participial predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्तवतु-प्रत्ययान्त (Past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘having done’

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kala-adhikarana (Temporal/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक

• देवम्: the deity, god
• देवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्रदक्षिणाम्: circumambulation
• प्रदक्षिणाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रदक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्म (object of ‘कृतवान्’)

• अहर्निशम्: day and night, continually
• अहर्निशम्: Kala-adhikarana (Temporal/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहन् + निशा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् नित्यसमास-प्रयोगे अव्ययवत्; समास: अहश्च निशा च (day and night)

Speaker

Veṇu (the king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-kṣetra (Arbudācala) prāsāda-devatā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pulastya’s audience of sages (mahārṣis)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Inside a stone temple courtyard: a green parrot perched on a pillar or cornice repeatedly circling the sanctum, while lamps burn through day and night; the deity stands serene in the garbhagṛha.

Characters & Entities

• Veṇu
• Śuka (parrot)
• Deva (Śiva implied)
• Prāsāda (temple)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even simple, repetitive devotion—like circumambulation—performed near the deity in a sacred place can generate lasting merit that carries across births.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The very prāsāda (shrine/temple) of the Arbuda Khaṇḍa episode, presented as a place where constant pradakṣiṇā yields extraordinary spiritual results.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Aharniśa-pradakṣiṇā: continuous circumambulation of the deity/temple precinct, day and night.