Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

दुहद्रुहाख्याश्वतरी मेघभ्रष्टा तडिद्यथा । तामायांतीं तथा दृष्ट्वा सूर्यवैश्वानरप्रभाम्

Transliteration

duhadruhākhyāśvatarī meghabhraṣṭā taḍidyathā | tāmāyāṃtīṃ tathā dṛṣṭvā sūryavaiśvānaraprabhām

Translation

દુહદ્રુહા નામની એક અશ્વતરી પ્રગટ થઈ, જાણે વાદળમાંથી પડેલી વીજળી. સૂર્ય અને વૈશ્વાનર અગ્નિ જેવી પ્રભાથી તેજસ્વી તે આવતી દેખાતાં (તે સચેત થયો).

Word by Word

• duhadruhā-ākhyā: named ‘Duhadruhā’
• duhadruhā-ākhyā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duhadruhā (प्रातिपदिक) + ākhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (duhadruhā iti ākhyā yasyāḥ)

• aśvatarī: mare
• aśvatarī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśvatarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• megha-bhraṣṭā: fallen from a cloud
• megha-bhraṣṭā: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: megha (प्रातिपदिक) + bhraṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘भ्रष्ट’ = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (fallen); समासः पञ्चमी-तत्पुरुष (meghāt bhraṣṭā)

• taḍit: lightning
• taḍit: Upamāna (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: taḍit (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (उपमान)

• yathā: like/as
• yathā: Upamā (Simile marker/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Comparative particle)

• tām: her
• tām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• āyāntīm: coming/approaching
• āyāntīm: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā-yā (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Present active participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• tathā: thus/so
• tathā: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Adverb)

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Prior action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund), ‘having seen’

• sūrya-vaiśvānara-prabhām: having the radiance of the sun and fire
• sūrya-vaiśvānara-prabhām: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sūrya (प्रातिपदिक) + vaiśvānara (प्रातिपदिक) + prabhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (sūryasya vaiśvānarasya ca prabhā iva)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A fierce she-mule named Duhadruhā appears like lightning dropped from a cloud, blazing with sun-like and fire-like radiance as she advances.

Characters & Entities

• Duhadruhā
• Vaiśvānara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic symbolism uses blazing radiance to signal formidable power; spiritual discernment is needed to face dazzling appearances.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No explicit tīrtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.