Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

ध्यात्वाऽह सुचिरं कालं धैर्यमास्थाय यत्नतः । के यूयं विकृताकारा दृष्टाः पूर्वं मया पुरा

Transliteration

dhyātvā'ha suciraṃ kālaṃ dhairyamāsthāya yatnataḥ | ke yūyaṃ vikṛtākārā dṛṣṭāḥ pūrvaṃ mayā purā

Translation

Nachdem er lange nachgedacht hatte, fasste er mühsam seinen Mut zusammen und sprach: ‚Wer seid ihr mit solch verzerrten Gestalten – habe ich euch früher schon einmal gesehen, vor langer Zeit?‘

Word by Word

• ध्यात्वा: having reflected
• ध्यात्वा: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्यै (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); ‘having meditated/reflected’

• अह: ah!
• अह: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विस्मय/उद्गार (interjection/exclamatory particle)

• सुचिरम्: for a long time
• सुचिरम्: Kala-adhikarana (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + चिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (accusative of duration)

• कालम्: time (duration)
• कालम्: Kala-adhikarana (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कालपरिमाण (duration)

• धैर्यम्: courage, steadiness
• धैर्यम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धैर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• आस्थाय: having taken up
• आस्थाय: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-स्था (धातु) + ल्यप् (अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund); ‘having resorted to/assuming’

• यत्नतः: carefully, with effort
• यत्नतः: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्न (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तद्धित-अव्यय)
• Form: तद्धितान्त-अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: with effort)

• के: who (are)
• के: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• यूयम्: you (plural)
• यूयम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; मध्यमपुरुषार्थक

• विकृताकारा: of distorted form
• विकृताकारा: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विकृत + आकार (प्रातिपदिक); समास
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण; (विकृतः आकारः येषाम्/विकृत-आकाराः)

• दृष्टाः: (were) seen
• दृष्टाः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कर्मणि/भावे; ‘seen’

• पूर्वम्: formerly
• पूर्वम्: Kala-adhikarana (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: before/previously)

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; त्रिलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• पुरा: formerly, long ago
• पुरा: Kala-adhikarana (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb: long ago)

Speaker

Brāhmaṇa (addressing the pretas)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The frightened observer steadies himself, stands firm beneath the great trees, hands raised in inquiry; the pretas loom above, while the sacred air of Prabhāsa remains luminous.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Pretas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma begins with steadiness: fear is transformed into inquiry, opening the way for instruction and compassionate action.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The scene belongs to the Preta-tīrtha account within Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse initiates the dialogue that will disclose the tīrtha’s significance.