Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

क्रीडां करोति विविधां वनसंस्थो हरद्विपः । तद्रूपं संपरित्यज्य रुद्रो रौद्रगजात्मकम्

Transliteration

krīḍāṃ karoti vividhāṃ vanasaṃstho haradvipaḥ | tadrūpaṃ saṃparityajya rudro raudragajātmakam

Translation

Gajah Hara yang tinggal di rimba itu bermain dengan beraneka ragam cara. Lalu, meninggalkan wujud itu, Rudra—yang telah mengambil hakikat gajah yang dahsyat—beralih menuju perwujudan yang lain.

Word by Word

• क्रीडाम्: play, sport
• क्रीडाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रीडा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• करोति: does, performs
• करोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• विविधाम्: various
• विविधाम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विविध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (क्रीडाम्)

• वन-संस्थः: situated in the forest
• वन-संस्थः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक) + संस्थ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; सम्-स्था √स्था)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कृदन्त ‘संस्थ’ = situated/standing; समासः तत्पुरुष (वने संस्थः)

• हर-द्विपः: Hara’s elephant (i.e., the elephant-form)
• हर-द्विपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर (प्रातिपदिक) + द्विप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (हरस्य द्विपः / हर-सम्बन्धी द्विपः)

• तत्-रूपम्: that form
• तत्-रूपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (तस्य रूपम्)

• सम्-परित्यज्य: having abandoned completely
• सम्-परित्यज्य: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-परि-त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) — अव्ययभाव; ‘having completely abandoned’

• रुद्रः: Rudra
• रुद्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• रौद्र-गज-आत्मकम्: of the nature of a fierce elephant
• रौद्र-गज-आत्मकम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रौद्र (प्रातिपदिक) + गज (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (तत्-रूपम्); समासः बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (रौद्रः गजः यस्य/यत् आत्मा = ‘having the nature of a fierce elephant’)

Speaker

Sūta (contextual narrator) revealing the identity behind the elephant-form

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A fierce yet majestic elephant in the forest plays in varied ways; then a luminous Rudra presence is implied as the elephant-form dissolves/withdraws, suggesting a shift to another manifestation—air shimmering, sages awestruck.

Characters & Entities

• Hara (Śiva)
• Rudra
• Elephant-form (gaja-rūpa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Rudra’s freedom to assume and abandon forms teaches that the divine is not confined to appearances, especially within a sanctified kṣetra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, celebrated as a realm where Śiva’s playful manifestations become part of the place’s māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse establishes Śiva’s manifestation that later grounds a place-name and shrine tradition.