Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

कुंतघातविनिर्भिन्नगजकुम्भोद्भवासृजा । तृप्यंति यत्र क्रव्यादास्तर्पणं तन्मम प्रियम्

Transliteration

kuṃtaghātavinirbhinnagajakumbhodbhavāsṛjā | tṛpyaṃti yatra kravyādāstarpaṇaṃ tanmama priyam

Translation

Le tarpaṇa qui m’est cher est celui où les mangeurs de chair se rassasient du sang jaillissant des tempes des éléphants, fendues par les coups de lance.

Word by Word

• कुंतघातविनिर्भिन्नगजकुम्भोद्भवासृजा: with blood arising from elephant-temples split by spear-blows
• कुंतघातविनिर्भिन्नगजकुम्भोद्भवासृजा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुंत-घात-विनिर्भिन्न-गज-कुम्भ-उद्भव-असृज् (प्रातिपदिक; समस्तपदम्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (असृज्/असृजा), तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; करणम्; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमासः (कुंतेन घातेन विनिर्भिन्नस्य गजकुम्भस्य उद्भवम् असृक्)

• तृप्यन्ति: are satisfied
• तृप्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तृप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Relative location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (where)

• क्रव्यादाः: flesh-eaters (carnivores)
• क्रव्यादाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रव्याद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• तर्पणम्: libation/oblation (satiation offering)
• तर्पणम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तर्पण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'तर्पणम्' इति विशेषणम्

• मम: of me
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रियम्: dear, pleasing
• प्रियम्: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम् (तर्पणम्)

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya sages (frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Spear-split elephant temples gush blood; jackals and vultures gather, ‘satisfied’ as if at an offering. The speaker calls this his beloved tarpaṇa—an intentional sacrilege.

Characters & Entities

• Tarpaṇa
• Kuṁta (spear)
• Gaja (elephant)
• Kravyāda (flesh-eater)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It dramatizes how sacred duty can be misread when compassion and clarity are lost—urging a return to true dharma rather than violent parody of rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of the Vastrāpathakṣetra Māhātmya (Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa) narrative sequence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tarpaṇa is mentioned, but the verse uses it metaphorically and negatively, contrasting real offerings with gruesome battlefield ‘satiation.’