Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

उपाकर्मोष्ठरुचकः प्रवर्ग्यावर्तभूषणः । नानाच्छन्दोगतिपथो ब्रह्मोक्तक्रमविक्रमः

Transliteration

upākarmoṣṭharucakaḥ pravargyāvartabhūṣaṇaḥ | nānācchandogatipatho brahmoktakramavikramaḥ

Translation

ริมฝีปากของท่านส่องประกายดุจอุปากรรมนะ; ท่านประดับด้วยวัฏจักรแห่งพิธีปรวรรคยะ. หนทางของท่านคือวิถีแห่งฉันทลักษณ์พระเวทนานาประการ; และก้าวย่างของท่านคือระเบียบลำดับที่พระพรหมทรงประกาศไว้

Word by Word

• upākarmauṣṭharucakaḥ: having the ‘uṣṭha-rucaka’ (a ritual mark/feature) at the upākarman rite
• upākarmauṣṭharucakaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: upākarman (प्रातिपदिक) + uṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक) + rucaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (उपाकर्म-उष्ठ-रुचकः = उपाकर्मणि उष्ठरुचको यस्य/उपाकर्मसमये उष्ठरुचकोऽयम्)

• pravargyāvartabhūṣaṇaḥ: adorned with the pravargya-ritual ‘āvarta’ (whorl/turn)
• pravargyāvartabhūṣaṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pravargya (प्रातिपदिक) + āvarta (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (प्रवर्ग्य-आवर्त-भूषणः = प्रवर्ग्यस्य आवर्तो भूषणं यस्य)

• nānā: various
• nānā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nānā (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-निपात)
• Form: अव्यय; विशेषणार्थे ‘विविध/various’

• chandaḥ: of Vedic metres
• chandaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: chandas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (समासपूर्वपदत्वे)

• gati: of movements/ways
• gati: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (समासपूर्वपदत्वे)

• pathaḥ: path
• pathaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; (पूर्वपदैः सह समासार्थे)

• nānācchandogatipathaḥ: whose course is through various Vedic metres and their movements
• nānācchandogatipathaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nānā (अव्यय) + chandas (प्रातिपदिक) + gati (प्रातिपदिक) + patha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (नानाच्छन्दो-गति-पथः = नानाविधानां छन्दसां गतयः पथाश्च यस्य/यत्र)

• brahmoktakramavikramaḥ: whose strides follow the sequence spoken by Brahmā
• brahmoktakramavikramaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + ukta (कृदन्त; √vac/वच्) + krama (प्रातिपदिक) + vikrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्मोक्त-क्रम-विक्रमः = ब्रह्मणा उक्तः क्रमः, तस्य विक्रमः/पराक्रमः यस्य)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The deity’s lips gleam with the sanctity of Upākarman; around him swirl the ‘āvarta’ cycles of Pravargya like radiant rings; pathways before him are patterned as chandas (Gāyatrī, Triṣṭubh, Jagatī) forming roads; his strides are measured as Brahmā-proclaimed sequences (krama).

Characters & Entities

• Yajñavarāha
• Upākarman
• Pravargya
• Chandas (Vedic metres)
• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Vedic discipline—rites, metres, and ordered recitation—is celebrated as a sacred structure through which divinity moves in the world.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

It supports the Prabhāsa tīrtha narrative by depicting the cosmic-sacrificial form connected to the site’s origin tradition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct injunction; it references Upākarman and Pravargya to underscore the sanctity of Vedic observances.