Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

ततो हतं बलं दृष्ट्वा रुरुर्मायामथाऽसृजत् । तामसींनाम देवेशि तयामुह्यत नैव सा

Transliteration

tato hataṃ balaṃ dṛṣṭvā rururmāyāmathā'sṛjat | tāmasīṃnāma deveśi tayāmuhyata naiva sā

Translation

Voyant ses troupes abattues, le Dānava Ruru projeta une illusion nommée Tāmasī (Ténèbres). Pourtant, ô Déesse des dieux, elle ne fut nullement abusée par cette tromperie.

Word by Word

• ततः: thereupon
• ततः: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादान/क्रम (thereupon/from that)

• हतम्: slain/destroyed
• हतम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (बलम्)

• बलम्: army/force
• बलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriyā (Gerund/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having seen)

• रुरुः: Ruru
• रुरुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मायाम्: illusion/magic
• मायाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम (then)

• असृजत्: released/created
• असृजत्: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सृज् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तामसीम्: dark (tamasic)
• तामसीम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तामसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (मायाम्)

• नाम: named
• नाम: Sambandha (Apposition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नामार्थक-निपात (called/namely)

• देवेशि: O goddess (lady of gods)
• देवेशि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवेशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; संबोधन

• तया: by that (illusion)
• तया: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• मुह्यत: became deluded
• मुह्यत: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुह् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (मुह्यते) छन्दसि लोप/संक्षेप

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (not)

• एव: at all
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (at all/indeed)

• सा: she (the goddess)
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator, contextually Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa speaking to sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Deveśi (the Goddess addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The demon Ruru, seeing his army destroyed, releases a wave of black, smoky darkness (Tāmasī māyā) across the coastal field; the Goddess stands luminous and unaffected, eyes steady.

Characters & Entities

• Ruru
• Devī
• Tāmasī Māyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine consciousness is not overcome by darkness or illusion; māyā fails before the Goddess’s awakened power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra (Prabhāsa Tīrtha), praised through the narrative of the Goddess’s victory occurring in and around this sacred region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is stated in this verse; it functions as narrative praise (māhātmya) establishing the site’s divine safeguarding.