Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

स्वर्भानोस्तुरगाश्चाष्टौ भृंगाभा धूसरारथम् । वहंति च सकृद्युक्ता आदित्याधःस्थितास्तथा

Transliteration

svarbhānosturagāścāṣṭau bhṛṃgābhā dhūsarāratham | vahaṃti ca sakṛdyuktā ādityādhaḥsthitāstathā

Translation

Svarbhānus acht Pferde, dunkel wie Bienen, tragen seinen grauen Wagen. Einmal angespannt, ziehen sie dahin, so unterhalb der Sonne aufgestellt.

Word by Word

• svarbhānoḥ: of Svarbhānu (Rāhu)
• svarbhānoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarbhānu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Genitive (6th), Singular

• turagāḥ: horses
• turagāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: turaga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative (1st), Plural

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction) — Conjunction

• aṣṭau: eight
• aṣṭau: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: (संख्यावाचक) पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Numeral adjective, Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• bhṛṅga-ābhāḥ: having the appearance of bees (blackish)
• bhṛṅga-ābhāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhṛṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + ābhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; उपमान-तत्पुरुष (भृङ्ग-सदृश-आभा) — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• dhūsara-ratham: the grey chariot
• dhūsara-ratham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhūsara (प्रातिपदिक) + ratha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय — Masculine, Accusative (2nd), Singular

• vahanti: carry/draw
• vahanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vah (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद — Present indicative, 3rd person, Plural

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction) — Conjunction

• sakṛt: once/at a time
• sakṛt: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sakṛt (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/आवृत्ति-वाचक-अव्यय (adverb) — Indeclinable adverb (once/at one time)

• yuktāḥ: yoked/attached
• yuktāḥ: Karta (Subject attribute/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yuj (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Past participle, Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• āditya-adhaḥ-sthitāḥ: situated below the Sun
• āditya-adhaḥ-sthitāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: āditya (प्रातिपदिक) + adhaḥ (अव्यय) + sthita (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (आदित्यस्य अधः स्थिताः) — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• tathā: thus/likewise
• tathā: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार-वाचक-अव्यय (adverb) — Indeclinable adverb (thus/so)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Svarbhānu’s grey chariot glides beneath the blazing Sun; eight bee-dark horses pull in a tight formation, suggesting swift, shadowy movement and eclipse potential.

Characters & Entities

• Svarbhānu (Rāhu)
• Āditya (Sun)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Shadowy forces are also bounded within divine order, reminding seekers to meet obscuration with steadiness and dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse is cosmological.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; although Rāhu relates to eclipses, no vrata or dāna is prescribed here.