Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

यदा रामेण देवेशि जमदग्निसुतेन वै । कृतो मातृवधो घोरः पितुराज्ञानुवर्तिना

Transliteration

yadā rāmeṇa deveśi jamadagnisutena vai | kṛto mātṛvadho ghoraḥ piturājñānuvartinā

Translation

हे देवेशि! जब जमदग्नि-पुत्र राम ने पिता की आज्ञा का पालन करते हुए अपनी माता का वह भयानक वध किया,

Word by Word

• यदा: when
• यदा: Sambandha (Temporal relation/कालसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb/conjunction): "when"

• रामेण: by Rama (Parashurama)
• रामेण: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन (instrumental singular)

• देवेशि: O goddess/lady
• देवेशि: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवेशि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन; संबोधन-शब्द (addressing)

• जमदग्नि-सुतेन: by the son of Jamadagni
• जमदग्नि-सुतेन: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जमदग्नि (प्रातिपदिक) + सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative): "son of Jamadagni"

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle) — emphasis/indeed

• कृतः: was done/committed
• कृतः: Kriya (Predicate in passive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: कृ-धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगे मुख्यक्रिया-भावः

• मातृ-वधः: matricide (killing of the mother)
• मातृ-वधः: Karma (Object/Patient; subject-like in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक) + वध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता-स्थानी), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: "killing of (one's) mother"

• घोरः: terrible
• घोरः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying मātṛvadhah)

• पितुः: of the father
• पितुः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन

• आज्ञा-अनुवर्तिना: by one who followed (his) father's command
• आज्ञा-अनुवर्तिना: Hetu/Upapada-sambandha (Cause/qualification of agent)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आज्ञा (प्रातिपदिक) + अनु-वृत् (धातु)
• Form: अनुवृत्-धातोः शतृ/शानच्-सम्भव-प्रातिपदिक (agentive participial adjective) "anuyvartin"; पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: "following the command (of the father)"; विशेषण (rāmeṇa/jamadagnisutena)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rāmeśvara (Prabhāsa)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devēśī/Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dramatic flashback: young Paraśurāma, axe in hand, torn between command and compassion; Jamadagni as stern ascetic; the mother figure implied; the scene framed as a moral tragedy leading toward later expiation at Rāmeśvara.

Characters & Entities

• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
• Jāmadagnya Rāma (Paraśurāma)
• Jamadagni
• Reṇukā (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It frames a dharma-crisis: even obedience to authority can generate grave karmic burden, requiring repentance and sacred remedy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sets the backstory for why Jāmadagnya Rāma later seeks purification at Prabhāsa-kṣetra (developed in subsequent verses).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it introduces the cause for later tapas and liṅga-pratiṣṭhā as expiation.