Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

आसीद्रक्तासुरोनाम महिषस्य सुतो बली । महाकायो महाबाहुर्हिरण्याक्ष इवापरः

Transliteration

āsīdraktāsuronāma mahiṣasya suto balī | mahākāyo mahābāhurhiraṇyākṣa ivāparaḥ

Translation

Il y avait un asura nommé Raktasura, puissant fils de Mahisha, au corps immense et aux grands bras, tel un autre Hiranyaksha.

Word by Word

• आसीत्: there was
• आसीत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• रक्तासुरः: the demon Rakta(-asura)
• रक्तासुरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्त + असुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; ‘रक्तः असुरः’ इति कर्मधारय

• नाम: by name
• नाम: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (नामार्थक/quotative particle: ‘by name’)

• महिषस्य: of Mahiṣa
• महिषस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महिष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन

• सुतः: son
• सुतः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन

• बली: mighty
• बली: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बलिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• महाकायः: huge-bodied
• महाकायः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + काय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; ‘महान् कायः यस्य’ (descriptive)

• महाबाहुः: great-armed
• महाबाहुः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + बाहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• हिरण्याक्षः: Hiraṇyākṣa
• हिरण्याक्षः: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिरण्य + अक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; ‘हिरण्याक्ष’ (proper name)

• इव: like
• इव: Upama-dyotaka (Comparative marker/उपमा-द्योतक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमा-वाचक/particle of comparison)

• अपरः: another; a second (one)
• अपरः: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (another/second)

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A colossal red-hued asura (Raktāsura), son of Mahiṣa, stands like a second Hiraṇyākṣa—broad-chested, great-armed—amid ominous skies, foreshadowing cosmic conflict near a sacred coastal kṣetra.

Characters & Entities

• Raktāsura
• Mahiṣa
• Hiraṇyākṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Māhātmyas often begin by describing disruptive forces (asuras) to highlight the protective grace of the deity and the sanctity of the kṣetra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative is situated within Prabhāsa Kṣetra Māhātmya, leading toward the Goddess’s protective legend there.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this verse sets the mythic background by introducing the antagonist.