Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

चिह्नानि लोकनाशाय दृश्यन्ते दारुणानि च । तेषां तद्वचन श्रुत्वा ब्रह्मलोके पितामहः

Transliteration

cihnāni lokanāśāya dṛśyante dāruṇāni ca | teṣāṃ tadvacana śrutvā brahmaloke pitāmahaḥ

Translation

„Schreckliche Zeichen, die den Untergang der Welt verkünden, werden sichtbar.“ Als Pitāmaha (Brahmā) in Brahmaloka ihre Worte vernahm …

Word by Word

• चिह्नानि: signs, omens
• चिह्नानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चिह्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• लोकनाशाय: for the destruction of the world
• लोकनाशाय: Sampradana/Purpose (प्रयोजन/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक-नाश (प्रातिपदिक; लोक + नाश)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative), एकवचन (Singular); समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (लोकस्य नाशः)

• दृश्यन्ते: are seen, appear
• दृश्यन्ते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), आत्मनेपद

• दारुणानि: terrible, dreadful
• दारुणानि: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दारुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषणम् (qualifying चिह्नानि)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तद्वचनम्: their statement, those words
• तद्वचनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद्-वचन (प्रातिपदिक; तद् + वचन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (तेषां वचनम्)

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Kriya (Non-finite verb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया (having heard)

• ब्रह्मलोके: in Brahma’s world (Brahmaloka)
• ब्रह्मलोके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्म-लोक (प्रातिपदिक; ब्रह्मन् + लोक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular); समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्मणः लोकः)

• पितामहः: the Grandfather (Brahmā)
• पितामहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Devas (first half); narrator continues into Brahmā’s response

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣi-assembly (probable)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Celestials report dreadful omens; Brahmā, in a radiant yet solemn Brahmaloka, turns inward—eyes half-closed—preparing to speak after contemplation.

Characters & Entities

• Portents (Cihnāni)
• Brahmaloka
• Brahmā (Pitāmaha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Puranic tradition treats omens as calls to corrective dharma—turning to higher wisdom to prevent collapse.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra is the implied locus whose disturbance echoes across the worlds.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this verse transitions from the devas’ report to Brahmā’s deliberation.