Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 132

Devanagari script

त्वां निहत्याद्य बाणेन मच्छासनपराङ्मुखीम् । आत्मानं पृथुकृत्वेह प्रजा धारयितास्म्यहम्

Transliteration

tvāṃ nihatyādya bāṇena macchāsanaparāṅmukhīm | ātmānaṃ pṛthukṛtveha prajā dhārayitāsmyaham

Translation

Nachdem ich dich heute mit meinem Pfeil niedergestreckt habe – da du dich von meiner Herrschaft abgewandt hast –, werde ich mich hier ausbreiten und das Volk erhalten.

Word by Word

• त्वाम्: you
• त्वाम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; (Pronoun, Accusative singular)

• निहत्य: having slain
• निहत्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हन् (धातु) + नि (उपसर्ग) → निहत्य (क्त्वान्त/अव्ययीभाव-रूप)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया; (having slain)

• अद्य: today/now
• अद्य: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• बाणेन: with an arrow
• बाणेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; (Instrumental singular)

• मत्-शासन-पराङ्मुखीम्: turned away from my command
• मत्-शासन-पराङ्मुखीम्: Karman (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + शासन (प्रातिपदिक) + पराङ्मुखी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Accusative singular feminine adjective)

• आत्मानम्: myself
• आत्मानम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (Accusative singular)

• पृथुकृत्व: having separated (myself)
• पृथुकृत्व: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृथु (प्रातिपदिक) + कृ (धातु) → पृथुकृत्व (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund), पूर्वक्रिया; (having made/kept separate)

• इह: here
• इह: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Place/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• प्रजाः: the subjects/creatures
• प्रजाः: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; (Accusative plural)

• धारयिता: sustainer
• धारयिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धृ (धातु) → धारयितृ (कर्तृवाचक-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्तृवाचक-नाम (agent noun), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (Nominative singular)

• अस्मि: am
• अस्मि: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन; (Present, 1st person singular)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (Pronoun, Nominative singular)

Speaker

Rājā (Vainya / Pṛthu, the king in this episode)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The archer releases an arrow toward a personified Earth who has turned away; immediately the speaker’s form multiplies/expands across the landscape, symbolizing taking on the burden of sustaining the populace.

Characters & Entities

• Vasundharā (Earth)
• Prajā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kingship is portrayed as the capacity to sustain society; authority is justified as service to prajā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, within whose māhātmya this classic Purāṇic motif is retold.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is mythic-political theology rather than ritual instruction.