Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

स धर्मविच्युतान्दृष्ट्वा पापोपहतचेतसः । एवं संचिंत्य भगवान्दध्यौ ध्यानं प्रभाकरः

Transliteration

sa dharmavicyutāndṛṣṭvā pāpopahatacetasaḥ | evaṃ saṃciṃtya bhagavāndadhyau dhyānaṃ prabhākaraḥ

Translation

Als er sie vom Dharma abgefallen sah, ihr Geist vom Sündhaften getroffen, sann der erhabene Prabhākara (die Sonne) so nach und trat in tiefe Meditation ein.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• धर्म-विच्युतान्: those fallen from dharma
• धर्म-विच्युतान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + विच्युत (कृदन्त; √च्यु (धातु) + वि-, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural); समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (धर्मात् विच्युताः)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दृश् (धातु) (कृदन्त; त्वान्त/क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive): ‘having seen’

• पाप-उपहत-चेतसः: whose minds were afflicted by sin
• पाप-उपहत-चेतसः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + उपहत (कृदन्त; √हन् (धातु) + उप-, क्त) + चेतस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural); समासः बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (पापेन उपहतं चेतः येषाम्)

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner)

• संचिन्त्य: having considered
• संचिन्त्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √चिन्त् (धातु) + सम्- (उपसर्ग) (कृदन्त; ल्यप्/तुमुनादि—अत्र ल्यप्)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund): ‘having reflected/considered’

• भगवान्: the Blessed Lord
• भगवान्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• दध्यौ: meditated
• दध्यौ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ध्यै (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपद

• ध्यानम्: meditation
• ध्यानम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ध्यान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रभाकरः: Prabhākara (the Sun)
• प्रभाकरः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभाकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator (contextual; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Prabhākara (Sun) shifts from wrath to inward stillness; rays become orderly, the rākṣasas appear morally degraded, and the scene quiets into a meditative tableau.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya (Prabhākara)
• Dharma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When adharma rises, divine power responds not only with force but with discerning contemplation that restores cosmic balance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where Sūrya’s presence and actions become part of the site’s sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Meditation (dhyāna) is highlighted as Sūrya’s mode here, but no human ritual instruction is explicitly stated.