Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

तं कालमेघं समभ्यर्च्य ततो वस्त्रापथं ययौ । देवं संपूज्य मंत्रैः स वेदोक्तैर्विधिपूर्वकम्

Transliteration

taṃ kālameghaṃ samabhyarcya tato vastrāpathaṃ yayau | devaṃ saṃpūjya maṃtraiḥ sa vedoktairvidhipūrvakam

Translation

ครั้นบูชาพระกาลเมฆะนั้นโดยชอบแล้ว เขาจึงไปสู่วัสตราปถะ ที่นั่นเขาบูชาเทพเจ้าอย่างครบถ้วนด้วยมนตร์ตามพระเวท ตามพิธีอันถูกต้อง

Word by Word

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• कालमेघम्: Kālamegha (dark-cloud one; epithet)
• कालमेघम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल + मेघ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: कालः इव मेघः / कालवर्णो मेघः (कर्मधारय); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• समभ्यर्च्य: having worshipped
• समभ्यर्च्य: Kriya-viseshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् + अभि + अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), अव्ययभाव

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-viseshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रम/अपादानवाचक

• वस्त्रापथम्: Vastrāpatha (place)
• वस्त्रापथम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वस्त्रापथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: वस्त्राणां पथः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) / क्षेत्रनाम; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• ययौ: went
• ययौ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

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

• संपूज्य: having worshipped well
• संपूज्य: Kriya-viseshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् + पूज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), अव्ययभाव

• मन्त्रैः: with mantras
• मन्त्रैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; करणवाचक

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• वेदोक्तैः: prescribed in the Vedas
• वेदोक्तैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेद + उक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: वेदेन उक्ताः (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष); पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; 'मन्त्रैः' इति विशेषणम्

• विधिपूर्वकम्: according to proper procedure
• विधिपूर्वकम्: Kriya-viseshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विधि + पूर्वक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययवत् क्रियाविशेषणम् (in due/ritual manner)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced: Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa māhātmya narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kālamēgha; Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The pilgrim first offers reverent worship to Kālamēgha, then journeys to Vastrāpatha and performs full Vedic-mantra pūjā before the deity, with priests and ritual implements present.

Characters & Entities

• Kālamēgha
• Vastrāpatha
• Vedic mantras
• Pūjā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is completed through disciplined, scripture-aligned worship; vidhi and mantra ground devotion in dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpatha-kṣetra, approached after worshipping Kālamēgha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performing vedokta (Veda-based) mantra worship with full procedure (vidhipūrvaka saṃpūjā).