Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

अनेकदैत्यदमनं बहुयंत्रविदारणम् । सूर्यकोटिप्रभाभासं सहस्रारं सुदर्शनम्

Transliteration

anekadaityadamanaṃ bahuyaṃtravidāraṇam | sūryakoṭiprabhābhāsaṃ sahasrāraṃ sudarśanam

Translation

It was Sudarśana—the subduer of countless demons, the shatterer of many contrivances and war-engines—shining with the brilliance of ten million suns, and bearing a thousand spokes.

Word by Word

• अनेकदैत्यदमनम्: subduer of many demons
• अनेकदैत्यदमनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनेक (प्रातिपदिक) + दैत्य (प्रातिपदिक) + दमन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (अनेकानां दैत्यानां दमनम्)

• बहुयन्त्रविदारणम्: splitter of many contrivances/weapons
• बहुयन्त्रविदारणम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक) + यन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + विदारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (बहूनां यन्त्राणां विदारणम्)

• सूर्यकोटिप्रभाभासम्: shining like the radiance of ten million suns
• सूर्यकोटिप्रभाभासम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक) + कोटि (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रभा (प्रातिपदिक) + आभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (सूर्यकोटीनां प्रभायाः आभासः यस्य)

• सहस्रारम्: having a thousand spokes
• सहस्रारम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक) + अर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (सहस्रम् अराः यस्य)

• सुदर्शनम्: Sudarśana (the discus); beautiful to behold
• सुदर्शनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (सुन्दरं दर्शनं यस्य/यत्)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual, within Dvārakā-māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sudarśana-prādurbhāva tīrtha (contextual within Dvārakā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Māhātmya audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A colossal Sudarśana chakra rises—thousand-spoked, blazing like millions of suns—hovering above the waters, its rim sharp, aura overwhelming, suggesting demon-subduing power.

Characters & Entities

• Sudarśana (Cakra)
• Daityas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Lord’s dharmic power protects creation: Sudarśana symbolizes swift, luminous justice that removes demonic obstruction.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā is the narrative setting; the māhātmya glorifies the city by revealing the presence and power of the Lord’s divine weapon there.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse is descriptive, preparing for acts of honor and worship.