Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

कलशानष्टदिग्भागे सहिरण्यान्पृथक्पृथक् । स्थापयित्वा तु शक्तिस्ता वामाद्याः पूर्वतः क्रमात्

Transliteration

kalaśānaṣṭadigbhāge sahiraṇyānpṛthakpṛthak | sthāpayitvā tu śaktistā vāmādyāḥ pūrvataḥ kramāt

Translation

于八方位分处，当各别安置盛水之瓶（kalaśa），并各配以黄金。既已安立，则诸圣力（Śakti）自“瓦玛”起，依次从东方开始排列。

Word by Word

• कलशान्: pots (ritual vessels)
• कलशान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन

• अष्ट-दिक्-भागे: in the sector of the eight directions
• अष्ट-दिक्-भागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्ट (संख्या; प्रातिपदिक) + दिक् (प्रातिपदिक) + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; समासः—अष्टानां दिशां भागे (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• स-हिरण्यान्: together with gold
• स-हिरण्यान्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (अव्यय/उपसर्गसदृश) + हिरण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन; समासः—हिरण्येन सह (सह-समास/तत्पुरुष)

• पृथक्: separately
• पृथक्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृथक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• पृथक्: each separately
• पृथक्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृथक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (पुनरुक्ति—emphatic repetition)

• स्थापयित्वा: having placed/installed
• स्थापयित्वा: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्था (धातु) + णिच् (causative)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund) causative; ‘having caused to be placed’

• तु: then/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle; contrast/emphasis)

• शक्तिः: the śakti (spear/energy emblem)
• शक्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• ताः: those (female forms)
• ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• वामा-आद्याः: beginning with Vāmā
• वामा-आद्याः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वामा (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; समासः—वामा आदिः यासां ताः (वामाद्याः)

• पूर्वतः: from the east/eastwards
• पूर्वतः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त), दिशावाचक (from the east/eastwards)

• क्रमात्: in sequence
• क्रमात्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे (adverbially: in order/ क्रमशः)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual pavilion at Prabhāsa: eight gleaming kalaśas set in the eight directions, each marked with gold; the officiant traces a lotus-mandala on the ground while invoking Śaktis in order starting from the east, beginning with Vāmā.

Characters & Entities

• Kalaśa
• Aṣṭa-dik (eight directions)
• Hiraṇya (gold)
• Śakti
• Vāmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Directional consecration acknowledges the divine permeating all quarters; worship is made cosmic by honoring Śiva’s Śaktis across space.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This udyāpana procedure belongs to the Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya’s Somavāra-vrata context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Install separate kalaśas with gold in the eight directions, and arrange the Śaktis—starting with Vāmā—in order beginning from the east.