Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

क्रीडां करोति विविधां वनसंस्थो हरद्विपः । तद्रूपं संपरित्यज्य रुद्रो रौद्रगजात्मकम्

Transliteration

krīḍāṃ karoti vividhāṃ vanasaṃstho haradvipaḥ | tadrūpaṃ saṃparityajya rudro raudragajātmakam

Translation

L’éléphant de Hara, demeurant dans la forêt, se livrait à des jeux variés. Puis Rudra, délaissant cette forme —celle d’un éléphant farouche— passa à une autre manifestation.

Word by Word

• क्रीडाम्: play, sport
• क्रीडाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रीडा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• करोति: does, performs
• करोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• विविधाम्: various
• विविधाम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विविध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (क्रीडाम्)

• वन-संस्थः: situated in the forest
• वन-संस्थः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक) + संस्थ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; सम्-स्था √स्था)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कृदन्त ‘संस्थ’ = situated/standing; समासः तत्पुरुष (वने संस्थः)

• हर-द्विपः: Hara’s elephant (i.e., the elephant-form)
• हर-द्विपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर (प्रातिपदिक) + द्विप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (हरस्य द्विपः / हर-सम्बन्धी द्विपः)

• तत्-रूपम्: that form
• तत्-रूपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (तस्य रूपम्)

• सम्-परित्यज्य: having abandoned completely
• सम्-परित्यज्य: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-परि-त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) — अव्ययभाव; ‘having completely abandoned’

• रुद्रः: Rudra
• रुद्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• रौद्र-गज-आत्मकम्: of the nature of a fierce elephant
• रौद्र-गज-आत्मकम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रौद्र (प्रातिपदिक) + गज (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (तत्-रूपम्); समासः बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (रौद्रः गजः यस्य/यत् आत्मा = ‘having the nature of a fierce elephant’)

Speaker

Sūta (contextual narrator) revealing the identity behind the elephant-form

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A fierce yet majestic elephant in the forest plays in varied ways; then a luminous Rudra presence is implied as the elephant-form dissolves/withdraws, suggesting a shift to another manifestation—air shimmering, sages awestruck.

Characters & Entities

• Hara (Śiva)
• Rudra
• Elephant-form (gaja-rūpa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Rudra’s freedom to assume and abandon forms teaches that the divine is not confined to appearances, especially within a sanctified kṣetra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, celebrated as a realm where Śiva’s playful manifestations become part of the place’s māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse establishes Śiva’s manifestation that later grounds a place-name and shrine tradition.