Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

हिरण्यकशिपुस्त्वासीत्स राजा पूर्वजन्मनि । चतुर्युगानि राजा तु तथा दश स राक्षसः

Transliteration

hiraṇyakaśipustvāsītsa rājā pūrvajanmani | caturyugāni rājā tu tathā daśa sa rākṣasaḥ

Translation

Dans une existence antérieure, il fut Hiraṇyakaśipu, un roi. Il régna durant quatre yugas; puis, durant dix yugas encore, il demeura comme rākṣasa.

Word by Word

• हिरण्यकशिपुः: Hiraṇyakaśipu
• हिरण्यकशिपुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिरण्य + कशिपु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नाम (proper name)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषण-अव्यय (particle)

• आसीत्: was
• आसीत्: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/past), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• राजा: king
• राजा: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पूर्वजन्मनि: in a former birth
• पूर्वजन्मनि: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व + जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण (in/at)

• चतुर्युगानि: four yugas (as a time-span)
• चतुर्युगानि: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Extent of time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर् + युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन; द्विगु-समास (four yugas)

• राजा: king
• राजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विशेषण-अव्यय (particle)

• तथा: likewise/so
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: रीति/प्रकार-अव्यय (adverb: 'thus/likewise')

• दश: ten
• दश: Saṅkhyā (Numeral qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्या; अत्र द्वितीया-बहुवचनार्थे (numeral used for count)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• राक्षसः: a rākṣasa
• राक्षसः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsa Māhātmya discourse style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A revelation of prior identity: the figure later known as Rāvaṇa is said to have been Hiraṇyakaśipu in a former birth, ruling across vast yuga spans, then existing as a rākṣasa for further ages—mythic time layered over personal continuity.

Characters & Entities

• Hiraṇyakaśipu
• Rāvaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic history portrays continuity of tendencies across births; long reigns and longevity do not negate karmic consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narration belongs to Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya, situating cosmic history within the sacred landscape of Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is a genealogical and temporal statement.