Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

विज्ञेया इह लोकेऽस्मिन्भूतानां मूलनायकाः । अतिकृष्णा भवन्त्येते व्यंतरान्तरचारिणः

Transliteration

vijñeyā iha loke'sminbhūtānāṃ mūlanāyakāḥ | atikṛṣṇā bhavantyete vyaṃtarāntaracāriṇaḥ

Translation

知るがよい、この世において彼らこそがブータ（bhūta）たちの根源の首領である。姿はきわめて黒く、ヴィヤンタラ（vyantara）として内なる空隙を巡り歩く。

Word by Word

• विज्ञेयाः: are to be known
• विज्ञेयाः: Vidheyavisheshana (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-ज्ञा (धातु) + य (कृत्)
• Form: कृदन्तः—तव्यत्/अनीयर्-अर्थे (gerundive/passive potential), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; ‘to be known/should be known’

• इह: here
• इह: Adverbial modifier
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद्/इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• भूतानाम्: of beings
• भूतानाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• मूलनायकाः: the root-leaders/chief sources
• मूलनायकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूल-नायक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (मूलस्य नायकाः)

• अतिकृष्णाः: very black, extremely dark
• अतिकृष्णाः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति-कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—अव्ययीभावः (अति + कृष्ण)

• भवन्ति: they are/become
• भवन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• एते: these
• एते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• व्यन्तरान्तरचारिणः: those who move among the vyantaras / inner-roaming spirits
• व्यन्तरान्तरचारिणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यन्तर-अन्तर-चारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (व्यन्तराणाम् अन्तरं चरन्ति/अन्तरे चरन्ति)

Speaker

Śiva (deduced from context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Interlocutor within Prabhāsa-māhātmya frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dark, almost shadow-substance group of beings is shown moving through inner corridors and between spaces—behind walls, within groves, near shrines—while a narrator points out that they are primordial leaders of bhūtas.

Characters & Entities

• Bhūta
• Vyantara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It presents a dharmic cosmos where even fearsome beings have defined roles and hierarchies.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra; the māhātmya context frames these beings as part of the kṣetra’s wider sacred order.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.