Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 109

Devanagari script

मत्प्रसादात्स राजा वै भवनोत्तापकारिणीम् । अट्टालयांनाम तदा राक्षसीं निहनिष्यति

Transliteration

matprasādātsa rājā vai bhavanottāpakāriṇīm | aṭṭālayāṃnāma tadā rākṣasīṃ nihaniṣyati

Translation

Durch meine Gnade wird jener König wahrlich die Rākṣasī namens Aṭṭālayā erschlagen, die brennende Heimsuchung über die Wohnstätten bringt.

Word by Word

• matprasādāt: from my grace
• matprasādāt: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mad + prasāda (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (mama prasādaḥ)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• rājā: the king
• rājā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• vai: indeed
• vai: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic particle)

• bhavanottāpakāriṇīm: causing distress/heat to the palace
• bhavanottāpakāriṇīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhavana + uttāpa + kāriṇī (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (bhavanasya uttāpaṃ karoti)

• aṭṭālayām: Aṭṭālayā (by name)
• aṭṭālayām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṭṭālaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• nāma: named
• nāma: Apposition marker (नाम-निर्देशक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नाम-शब्दः (name-indicator particle)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Adverbial (काल-क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• rākṣasīm: the demoness
• rākṣasīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rākṣasī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• nihaniṣyati: will slay
• nihaniṣyati: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: han (धातु) + ni- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Devī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aṭṭālayā-vadha-sthāna (later Aṭṭālaja)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: King Vatsa, empowered by Devī’s blessing, confronts and slays the rākṣasī Aṭṭālayā who torments homes; flames and distressed dwellings contrast with the Devī’s protective aura.

Characters & Entities

• Aṭṭālayā (rākṣasī)
• Vatsarāja (implied king)
• Vatseśvarī/Devī (speaker)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine grace empowers righteous rulership to remove harmful forces and restore safety for the community.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative belongs to the Dharmāraṇya–Mahīsāgara region where the Devī’s protective presence is proclaimed.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; it describes a protection-miracle effected through the Devī’s prasāda.