Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

महावृक्षसमारूढान्महाकायान्महोत्कटान् । ऊर्ध्वकेशाञ्छंकुकर्णान्स्नायुनद्धकलेवरान्

Transliteration

mahāvṛkṣasamārūḍhānmahākāyānmahotkaṭān | ūrdhvakeśāñchaṃkukarṇānsnāyunaddhakalevarān

Translation

Sie hockten auf großen Bäumen – mit riesigen Körpern und höchst furchterregend – die Haare standen zu Berge, die Ohren glichen Spießen, ihre Körper waren straff von Sehnen umspannt.

Word by Word

• महावृक्षसमारूढान्: mounted on great trees
• महावृक्षसमारूढान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + वृक्ष + सम्-आ-रुह् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त); समास
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; विशेषण; (महावृक्षेषु समारूढान्)

• महाकायान्: huge-bodied
• महाकायान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + काय (प्रातिपदिक); समास
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; विशेषण; (महान् कायः येषाम्/महाकायः)

• महोत्कटान्: very fierce, formidable
• महोत्कटान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + उत्कट (प्रातिपदिक); समास
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• ऊर्ध्वकेशान्: with hair standing upright
• ऊर्ध्वकेशान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ऊर्ध्व + केश (प्रातिपदिक); समास
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• शङ्कुकर्णान्: with spike-like ears
• शङ्कुकर्णान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शङ्कु + कर्ण (प्रातिपदिक); समास
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• स्नायुनद्धकलेवरान्: whose bodies are bound with sinews
• स्नायुनद्धकलेवरान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्नायु + नद्ध (नह् धातु + क्त) + कलेवर (प्रातिपदिक); समास
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; विशेषण; (स्नायुभिः नद्धं कलेवरं येषाम्)

Speaker

Narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the edge of Prabhāsa’s sacred grove, frightful pretas sit perched on massive trees—towering, sinew-bound bodies, hair bristling upward, ears like spikes—forming a stark silhouette against the kṣetra’s holy landscape.

Characters & Entities

• Pretas
• Puruṣottama-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The preta-state is portrayed as intense distortion and suffering, underscoring the Purāṇic emphasis on purification, rites, and divine grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The locale tied to Preta-tīrtha within Prabhāsa-kṣetra (scene-setting for the tīrtha’s greatness).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it provides descriptive context for the ensuing teaching.