Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

विमांसरुधिरान्नग्नानथ कृष्णकलेवरान् । दृष्ट्वाऽसौ भयसंत्रस्तो विनष्टोऽस्मीत्यचिन्तयत्

Transliteration

vimāṃsarudhirānnagnānatha kṛṣṇakalevarān | dṛṣṭvā'sau bhayasaṃtrasto vinaṣṭo'smītyacintayat

Translation

Als er sie sah – fleischlos, blutverschmiert, nackt und mit geschwärzten Körpern – zitterte er vor Angst und dachte: ‚Ich bin verloren!‘

Word by Word

• विमांस: fleshless
• विमांस: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + मांस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; विशेषण; ‘मांस-रहित’ (elliptic usage)

• रुधिरान्: bloody, covered with blood
• रुधिरान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रुधिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• नग्नान्: naked
• नग्नान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नग्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• अथ: then, and
• अथ: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रमसूचक (particle: and then)

• कृष्णकलेवरान्: black-bodied
• कृष्णकलेवरान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृष्ण + कलेवर (प्रातिपदिक); समास
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); ‘having seen’

• असौ: he
• असौ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• भयसंत्रस्तः: terrified with fear
• भयसंत्रस्तः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भय + सम्-त्रस् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त); समास
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण; (भयेन संत्रस्तः)

• विनष्टः: ruined, lost
• विनष्टः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-नश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

• अस्मि: I am
• अस्मि: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/Present), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; वाक्यपरिसमाप्ति/उद्धरणसूचक (quotative particle)

• अचिन्तयत्: he thought
• अचिन्तयत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चिन्त् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A traveler beholds naked, blood-smeared, fleshless pretas with blackened bodies; his face tightens in terror as the sacred landscape behind them remains serene, heightening the moral contrast.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Pretas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Confrontation with suffering and the unseen realms can awaken humility and prompt the seeker toward dharma and refuge in sacred places.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative setting connected to Preta-tīrtha in Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse prepares for the dialogue that explains the tīrtha’s power.