Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 128

Devanagari script

बिभेद वक्षो दैत्यस्य वज्रघातकिणांकितम् । नखैः कुन्दसुमप्रख्यैरस्थिसंघातकर्शितम्

Transliteration

bibheda vakṣo daityasya vajraghātakiṇāṃkitam | nakhaiḥ kundasumaprakhyairasthisaṃghātakarśitam

Translation

Mit Nägeln, hell wie Jasminblüten, riss er die Brust des Dämons auf – vernarbt, als wäre sie von einem Blitz getroffen, und bis auf die Knochen abgenutzt.

Word by Word

• बिभेद: he split/pierced
• बिभेद: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भिद् (धातु √भिद्, भेदने)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• वक्षः: the chest
• वक्षः: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वक्षस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• दैत्यस्य: of the demon
• दैत्यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• वज्रघातकिणाङ्कितम्: marked with calluses/scars from thunderbolt-blows
• वज्रघातकिणाङ्कितम्: Karma (qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वज्रघातकिणाङ्कित (प्रातिपदिक; वज्र + घात + किण + अङ्कित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (वक्षः)

• नखैः: with (his) nails
• नखैः: Karana (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• कुन्दसुमप्रख्यैः: resembling jasmine-flowers
• कुन्दसुमप्रख्यैः: Karana (qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुन्दसुमप्रख्य (प्रातिपदिक; कुन्दसुम + प्रख्य)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (नखैः)

• अस्थिसंघातकर्शितम्: worn down to the mass of bones
• अस्थिसंघातकर्शितम्: Karma (qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अस्थिसंघातकर्शित (प्रातिपदिक; अस्थि + संघात + कर्शित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (वक्षः)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close combat: the deity’s jasmine-bright nails rend the demon’s thunderbolt-scarred chest; bone shows through, emphasizing the demon’s long-hardened, battle-worn body and the sudden decisive strike.

Characters & Entities

• Narasiṃha
• Daitya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine compassion for the world can appear as fierce force against entrenched adharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpathakṣetra in Prabhāsa is the Māhātmya container; the Lord’s victory becomes part of the kṣetra’s sacred memory.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is the climactic act of divine retribution.