Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

प्रार्थनाभङ्गभीताश्च ततो देवाः सवासवाः । प्रणष्टास्तान्सुरान्दृष्ट्वा ब्राह्मणाश्चानुवव्रजुः

Transliteration

prārthanābhaṅgabhītāśca tato devāḥ savāsavāḥ | praṇaṣṭāstānsurāndṛṣṭvā brāhmaṇāścānuvavrajuḥ

Translation

خوفًا من أن تُحبط طلباتُ البراهمة، اختفى الآلهةُ—ومعهم إندرا—عن الأنظار. فلمّا رأى البراهمةُ أولئك الآلهةَ قد توارَوا، تبعوهم من ورائهم.

Word by Word

• प्रार्थना: request/prayer
• प्रार्थना: Sambandha (Genitival/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रार्थना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th) एकवचन (समासपूर्वपद) = Feminine, Genitive singular (as first member)

• भङ्ग: breaking/failure
• भङ्ग: Sambandha (Genitival/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th) एकवचन (समासपूर्वपद) = Masculine, Genitive singular (as member)

• भीताः: afraid (of requests being thwarted)
• भीताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भी (धातु) → भीत (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (PPP used adjectivally), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन = Masculine nominative plural; समासः: प्रार्थनाभङ्ग-भीत (तत्पुरुषः: 'afraid of the failure of requests')

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय) = conjunction 'and'

• ततः: then/from there
• ततः: Apadana (Ablatival/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अपादान/क्रम) = indeclinable 'then/from there'

• देवाः: gods
• देवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन = Masculine, Nominative plural

• सवासवाः: together with Indra
• सवासवाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स + वासव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन = Masculine, Nominative plural; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः/सह-समासार्थः: 'with Indra (Vāsava)'

• प्रणष्टाः: vanished/disappeared
• प्रणष्टाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + नश् (धातु) → प्रणष्ट (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन = Masculine nominative plural; 'vanished/gone'

• तान्: those
• तान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन = Masculine, Accusative plural (pronoun)

• सुरान्: gods
• सुरान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन = Masculine, Accusative plural

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Hetu (Cause/Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → दृष्ट्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययीभावरूप कृदन्त (gerund), अव्यय = absolutive 'having seen'

• ब्राह्मणाः: Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन = Masculine, Nominative plural

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय) = conjunction 'and'

• अनुवव्रजुः: followed
• अनुवव्रजुः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु + व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन = Perfect, 3rd person plural, Parasmaipada; अर्थे: 'followed/pursued'

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The gods, with Indra, vanish to avoid disappointing the brāhmaṇas’ requests; the brāhmaṇas, seeing the disappearance, pursue them—creating a dramatic chase across the sacred landscape.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Indra (Vāsava)
• Brāhmaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Avoiding rightful obligations leads to fear and disorder; dharma presses even the mighty to accountability.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The episode unfolds in the Prabhāsa-kṣetra context, reinforcing its role as a stage for dharmic consequence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, fulfilling priestly requests/dakṣiṇā connected with yajña rather than evading them.