Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 158

Devanagari script

तेन वै वर्त्तयन्त्युग्रा महाकाया विषोल्बणाः । तदाहारास्तदाचारास्तद्वीर्यास्तदपाश्रयाः

Transliteration

tena vai varttayantyugrā mahākāyā viṣolbaṇāḥ | tadāhārāstadācārāstadvīryāstadapāśrayāḥ

Translation

Allein dadurch erhalten sich jene grimmigen, riesenleibigen, von Gift erfüllten Wesen—davon nähren sie sich, danach richten sie ihr Tun, daraus schöpfen sie Kraft und darauf stützen sie sich als Halt.

Word by Word

• तेन: by that; with that
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular), सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• वै: indeed
• वै: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphatic)

• वर्त्तयन्ति: they live/maintain themselves; they subsist
• वर्त्तयन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत्/वर्त् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• उग्राः: fierce
• उग्राः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/स्त्रीलिङ्ग (contextual), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• महाकायाः: huge-bodied
• महाकायाः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाकाय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (महा + काय), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• विषोल्बणाः: abounding in poison; very poisonous
• विषोल्बणाः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विषोल्बण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (विष + ओल्बण), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तदाहाराः: having that as food
• तदाहाराः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम) + आहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (तद्-आहार), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तदाचाराः: having that as conduct
• तदाचाराः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम) + आचार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (तद्-आचार), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तद्वीर्याः: having that as strength/potency
• तद्वीर्याः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम) + वीर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (तद्-वीर्य), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तदपाश्रयाः: having that as support/refuge
• तदपाश्रयाः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम) + अपाश्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (तद्-अपाश्रय), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced from section context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Huge-bodied serpentine beings, dark and gleaming, drink and anoint themselves with the extracted poison-milk; their society appears organized around it—food, conduct, strength, and refuge—while the Earth-cow remains a silent cosmic giver.

Characters & Entities

• Nāga
• Sarpa
• Viṣa (poison)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Beings become shaped by what they consume and depend on—food, conduct, and inner power are interconnected, highlighting the dharmic importance of right āhāra and right āchāra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is situated within Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya, contributing to the Purāṇic sacred narrative of Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed; the verse is descriptive and ethical-symbolic.