Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

जय गायत्रि कल्याणि जय सह्ये विभावरि । जय दुर्गे महाकालि शिव दूति जयाऽजये

Transliteration

jaya gāyatri kalyāṇi jaya sahye vibhāvari | jaya durge mahākāli śiva dūti jayā'jaye

Translation

ชัยแด่พระแม่คายตรี ผู้เป็นมงคล; ชัยแด่พระแม่สหยา ราตรีอันเรืองรอง. ชัยแด่พระแม่ทุรคา มหากาลี; โอ้ทูตแห่งพระศิวะ ผู้ไม่อาจพิชิต—ขอชัยจงมีแด่พระองค์.

Word by Word

• जय: hail!
• जय: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: जय (अव्यय/निपात)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात)

• गायत्रि: O Gāyatrī
• गायत्रि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गायत्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन

• कल्याणि: O auspicious one
• कल्याणि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्याणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन

• जय: hail!
• जय: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: जय (अव्यय/निपात)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात)

• सह्ये: O Sahyā
• सह्ये: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सह्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन

• विभावरि: O night / O radiant one
• विभावरि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विभावरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन

• जय: hail!
• जय: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: जय (अव्यय/निपात)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात)

• दुर्गे: O Durgā
• दुर्गे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन

• महाकालि: O Mahākālī
• महाकालि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाकाली (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन

• शिव-दूति: O messenger of Śiva
• शिव-दूति: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक) + दूती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शिवस्य दूती)

• जय: hail!
• जय: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: जय (अव्यय/निपात)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात)

• अजये: O Ajayā (the unconquered)
• अजये: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अजया/अजया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन; 'अजया' इति नाम, सन्धौ 'जयाऽजये' = जया + अजये

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating within the Prabhāsa Māhātmya context

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Somnātha area)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis at Naimiṣāraṇya (typical frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim assembly at Prabhāsa at dusk, facing the sea and Somnātha’s silhouette; Devī appears as a composite form—Gāyatrī with Vedic aura, Durgā with lion, Mahākālī with dark radiance—while a Śiva-dhūti (Śiva’s messenger aspect) stands as protective presence.

Characters & Entities

• Gāyatrī
• Kalyāṇī
• Sahyā
• Vibhāvarī
• Durgā
• Mahākālī
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devī protects, illumines, and removes obstacles; she is unconquerable and acts in harmony with Śiva’s will.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, within whose māhātmya this Devī-stuti is situated.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; the invocation of Gāyatrī suggests fitness for mantra-japa and protective recitation.