Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

पश्चिमेन गुरुं न्यस्य उत्तरेण च भार्गवम् । आग्नेय्यां मङ्गलं न्यस्य नैरृत्यां तु शनैश्चरम्

Transliteration

paścimena guruṃ nyasya uttareṇa ca bhārgavam | āgneyyāṃ maṅgalaṃ nyasya nairṛtyāṃ tu śanaiścaram

Translation

พึงตั้งพระคุรุ (พฤหัสบดี) ไว้ทางทิศตะวันตก และตั้งภารควะ (ศุกร์) ไว้ทางทิศเหนือ. พึงตั้งมังคละ (อังคาร) ในทิศอาคเนย์ และตั้งศไนศจะระ (เสาร์) ในทิศไนรฤติ.

Word by Word

• पश्चिमेन: to the west / by the west
• पश्चिमेन: Adhikarana (Directional/route)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/मार्ग), एकवचन; दिक्-निर्देशे

• गुरुम्: Guru (Jupiter)
• गुरुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• न्यस्य: having placed
• न्यस्य: Kriya (Gerundial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-√अस् (धातु; न्यासे)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund), ‘having placed’

• उत्तरेण: to the north / by the north
• उत्तरेण: Adhikarana (Directional/route)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/मार्ग), एकवचन; दिक्-निर्देशे

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

• भार्गवम्: Bhārgava (Venus/Śukra)
• भार्गवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार्गव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• आग्नेय्याम्: in the south-east (āgneya)
• आग्नेय्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आग्नेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; दिक्-निर्देशे

• मङ्गलम्: Maṅgala (Mars)
• मङ्गलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मङ्गल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• न्यस्य: having placed
• न्यस्य: Kriya (Gerundial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-√अस् (धातु; न्यासे)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund), ‘having placed’

• नैरृत्याम्: in the south-west (nairṛta)
• नैरृत्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नैरृत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; दिक्-निर्देशे

• तु: and/then
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात

• शनैश्चरम्: Śanaiścara (Saturn)
• शनैश्चरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शनैश्चर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa māhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (continued address in surrounding verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A directional square/lotus mandala: Guru (golden) seated in the west, Bhārgava (white/bright) in the north, Maṅgala (red) in the southeast, Śani (dark blue/black) in the southwest; offerings arranged by color and metal.

Characters & Entities

• Guru (Bṛhaspati/Jupiter)
• Bhārgava (Śukra/Venus)
• Maṅgala (Mars)
• Śanaiścara (Saturn)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cosmic forces are approached through order and reverence—placing the grahas properly symbolizes living in alignment with ṛta and dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where even planetary worship is framed within the kṣetra’s sacred discipline.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Directional placement (nyāsa) of Guru (west), Bhārgava (north), Maṅgala (southeast), and Śanaiścara (southwest).