Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

माघे मासि चतुर्द्दश्यां कृष्णाष्टम्यां विशेषतः । गंधधूपोपहारैर्यः पूजयेद्दण्डनायकम् । तस्य क्षेत्रे निवसतो न विघ्नं जायते क्वचित्

Transliteration

māghe māsi caturddaśyāṃ kṛṣṇāṣṭamyāṃ viśeṣataḥ | gaṃdhadhūpopahārairyaḥ pūjayeddaṇḍanāyakam | tasya kṣetre nivasato na vighnaṃ jāyate kvacit

Translation

尤其在摩伽月——于阴历第十四日，尤以黑八日（Kṛṣṇāṣṭamī）为胜——凡以香料、熏香与供品礼拜主宰“持杖护法”达ṇḍanāyaka者；居于此神圣刹土（kṣetra）之人，处处皆无障碍生起。

Word by Word

• māghe: in (the month of) Māgha
• māghe: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māgha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; मास-नाम

• māsi: in the month
• māsi: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• caturdaśyām: on the fourteenth lunar day
• caturdaśyām: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caturdaśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तिथि-नाम

• kṛṣṇāṣṭamyām: on the Kṛṣṇa-aṣṭamī (8th of dark fortnight)
• kṛṣṇāṣṭamyām: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + aṣṭamī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (कृष्णपक्षस्य अष्टमी)

• viśeṣataḥ: especially
• viśeṣataḥ: Kriya-Viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: viśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• gandha-dhūpa-upahāraiḥ: with perfumes, incense, and offerings
• gandha-dhūpa-upahāraiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gandha (प्रातिपदिक) + dhūpa (प्रातिपदिक) + upahāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; समासः—इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (गन्धश्च धूपश्च उपहाराश्च)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-सर्वनाम

• pūjayet: should worship
• pūjayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pūj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• daṇḍanāyakam: Daṇḍanāyaka (lord of the staff)
• daṇḍanāyakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + nāyaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (दण्डस्य नायकः)

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• kṣetre: in the sacred field (kṣetra)
• kṣetre: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• nivasataḥ: of (one) residing
• nivasataḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ni-vas (धातु) → nivasat (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ/Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; ‘tasya’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (निपात/अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• vighnam: obstacle
• vighnam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vighna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘जायते’ इत्यस्य कर्तृ (impersonal/भावे)

• jāyate: arises
• jāyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• kvacit: ever, anywhere
• kvacit: Kriya-Viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kvacit (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

Speaker

Viṣṇu (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Daṇḍanāyaka-sannidhi at Prabhāsa

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night worship in Māgha: devotees offer sandal paste and incense to Daṇḍanāyaka; the kṣetra is calm, and symbolic obstacles dissolve like smoke in lamplight.

Characters & Entities

• Māgha (month)
• Caturdaśī
• Kṛṣṇāṣṭamī
• Daṇḍanāyaka (Daṇḍapāṇi)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Timely worship in sacred geography—done with simple offerings—creates spiritual protection and removes impediments from one’s path.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where residence and worship are said to prevent obstacles (vighna).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

In Māgha, particularly on Caturdaśī and Kṛṣṇāṣṭamī, worship Daṇḍanāyaka with gandha (perfume), dhūpa (incense), and upahāra (offerings).