Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

सघर्घरीकचरणन्यासनादितपर्वतान् । फेत्कारभासुराकारान्काशकुञ्चितमूर्द्धजान्

Transliteration

saghargharīkacaraṇanyāsanāditaparvatān | phetkārabhāsurākārānkāśakuñcitamūrddhajān

Translation

Il vit des formes pareilles à des montagnes, comme fixées par des pas de tonnerre, brillant de cris effroyables, et avec des chevelures bouclées comme l'herbe kāśa.

Word by Word

• स: with
• स: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-बहुवचन (Masculine, Accusative plural); सर्वनाम-विशेषण (pronominal prefix 'with/along with' in compound usage)

• घर्घरीक: gurgling/rumbling sound
• घर्घरीक: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: घर्घरीक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (onomatopoetic; used as qualifier)

• चरण: foot
• चरण: Samāsa-aṅga
• Type: Noun
• Root: चरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (compound member)

• न्यास: placing, setting down
• न्यास: Samāsa-aṅga
• Type: Noun
• Root: न्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (compound member)

• नादि: sound and the like
• नादि: Samāsa-aṅga
• Type: Noun
• Root: नादि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (compound member; 'etc.')

• त: those
• त: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-बहुवचन (Masculine, Accusative plural); सर्वनाम-विशेषण (that)

• पर्वतान्: mountains
• पर्वतान्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-बहुवचन (Masculine, Accusative plural)

• सघर्घरीकचरणन्यासनादितपर्वतान्: mountains accompanied by rumbling foot-placements and sounds
• सघर्घरीकचरणन्यासनादितपर्वतान्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स + घर्घरीक + चरण + न्यास + नादि + त + पर्वत (समास-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-बहुवचन (Masculine, Accusative plural); बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (descriptive: 'mountains with rumbling footfalls/placements and sounds etc.')

• फेत्कार: hissing/roaring cry
• फेत्कार: Samāsa-aṅga
• Type: Noun
• Root: फेत्कार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (compound member)

• भासुर: shining, radiant
• भासुर: Samāsa-aṅga
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भासुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (compound member)

• आकारान्: forms, shapes
• आकारान्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-बहुवचन (Masculine, Accusative plural)

• फेत्कारभासुराकारान्: forms radiant with a hissing roar
• फेत्कारभासुराकारान्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फेत्कार + भासुर + आकार (समास-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-बहुवचन (Masculine, Accusative plural); कर्मधारयः ('forms radiant with/like a hissing roar')

• काश: hair/brightness (contextual)
• काश: Samāsa-aṅga
• Type: Noun
• Root: काश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (compound member; 'hair/shine' sense contextually)

• कुञ्चित: curled
• कुञ्चित: Samāsa-aṅga
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुञ्च् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक: कुञ्चित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (compound member); भूतकृदन्त (curled)

• मूर्द्धजान्: head-hair
• मूर्द्धजान्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूर्द्धज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-बहुवचन (Masculine, Accusative plural)

• काशकुञ्चितमूर्द्धजान्: curly head-hair
• काशकुञ्चितमूर्द्धजान्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काश + कुञ्चित + मूर्द्धज (समास-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-बहुवचन (Masculine, Accusative plural); कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-समासः ('head-hair that is curled')

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra (within Prabhāsa-maṇḍala)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-seer confronts towering, mountain-like figures whose hair rises in curled tufts like kāśa-grass; their bodies gleam in harsh light as their cries crackle across a rocky sacred hillscape.

Characters & Entities

• Raivataka-giri

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tīrtha-journey may confront the pilgrim with awe and fear, testing steadiness while revealing the unseen dimensions of sacred space.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The episode is situated around Raivataka-giri in the Prabhāsa region connected to Vastrāpatha-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it continues the narrative description of a visionary encounter.