Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

त्रिपादं तु महाकायं स्थूलशीर्षं महाहनुम् । एवंविधं सुतं दृष्ट्वा विरूपं रूपतस्तदा

Transliteration

tripādaṃ tu mahākāyaṃ sthūlaśīrṣaṃ mahāhanum | evaṃvidhaṃ sutaṃ dṛṣṭvā virūpaṃ rūpatastadā

Translation

三つの足を持ち、巨体で、頭は厚く、顎は力強い—そのような子を見て、その時の姿は醜く歪んでおり…

Word by Word

• tripādam: three-footed
• tripādam: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri + pāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — ‘three-footed’

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; contrast/emphasis)

• mahākāyam: huge-bodied
• mahākāyam: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā + kāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — ‘great-bodied’

• sthūlaśīrṣam: big-headed
• sthūlaśīrṣam: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthūla + śīrṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — ‘thick/big-headed’

• mahāhanum: large-jawed
• mahāhanum: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā + hanu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — ‘great-jawed’

• evaṃvidham: such-formed
• evaṃvidham: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: evaṃ + vidha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — ‘of such a kind’

• sutam: son
• sutam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव — ‘having seen’

• virūpam: deformed, ugly
• virūpam: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: virūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — qualifies ‘sutam’

• rūpatas: in appearance
• rūpatas: Sambandha (Adverbial modifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तसिल्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तसिलन्त अव्यय (adverbial ablatival) — ‘in respect of form/appearance’

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A gigantic, three-footed child with thick head and powerful jaw is shown; the mother’s face registers shock and sorrow at the sight of the unusual form.

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśravaṇa (Kubera)
• Kaikasī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It prepares the moral contrast between appearance and destiny—Purāṇic teaching often uses form to reveal deeper karmic and cosmic roles.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The māhātmya framework is Prabhāsakṣetra; this episode is embedded in that sacred narration.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is narrative description.