Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

समाहूय तदा दैत्यं प्रभासक्षेत्रमध्यतः । युद्धं चक्रे ततो देवि विश्वप्रलयकारकम्

Transliteration

samāhūya tadā daityaṃ prabhāsakṣetramadhyataḥ | yuddhaṃ cakre tato devi viśvapralayakārakam

Translation

Alors il convoqua le Daitya au cœur même de Prabhāsa Kṣetra et engagea le combat—ô Devī—une guerre qui ébranlait la terre, comme capable d’anéantir le monde.

Word by Word

• समाहूय: having summoned
• समाहूय: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-ह्वे (धातु) + त्वा (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriya-visheshana (Time/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• दैत्यं: the demon
• दैत्यं: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, एकवचन, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative singular)

• प्रभास-क्षेत्र-मध्यतः: from the midst of Prabhāsa-kṣetra
• प्रभास-क्षेत्र-मध्यतः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक) + क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + मध्य (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तद्धित/अव्ययीभाव-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, स्थानवाचक (ablatival adverb) ‘मध्यतः’ = from the middle; प्रभासक्षेत्रस्य मध्ये इत्यर्थः

• युद्धं: battle
• युद्धं: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, एकवचन, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative singular)

• चक्रे: waged/did
• चक्रे: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• ततः: thereupon
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• देवि: O goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, एकवचन, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative singular)

• विश्व-प्रलय-कारकम्: causing universal destruction
• विश्व-प्रलय-कारकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विश्व (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रलय (प्रातिपदिक) + कारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, एकवचन, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (agreeing with युद्धम्); विश्वस्य प्रलयः (षष्ठी) तस्य कारकम् (तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Narrator addressing Devī (listener invoked as 'devī')

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa Kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (addressed as ‘O Devī’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the heart of Prabhāsa Kṣetra, a daitya is summoned into the sacred precinct; the air trembles as a battle begins, evoking pralaya-like dread—dust, conch-blasts, and divine standards rising against a dark, towering foe.

Characters & Entities

• Daitya
• Prabhāsa Kṣetra
• Devī (addressed)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even overwhelming conflict can serve dharma when undertaken to restrain adharma and protect the vulnerable.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, described as the very center where the decisive battle unfolds.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is narrative, magnifying the sacredness of the kṣetra through epic action.