Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 122

Devanagari script

पपात महती चोल्का निहत्य रविमंडलम् । अपसव्यं मृगाश्चक्रुस्तस्य मार्गे नृपोत्तम

Transliteration

papāta mahatī colkā nihatya ravimaṃḍalam | apasavyaṃ mṛgāścakrustasya mārge nṛpottama

Translation

ಒಂದು ಮಹಾ ಉಲ್ಕೆಯು ಸೂರ್ಯಮಂಡಲವನ್ನು ಹೊಡೆದಂತೆಯೇ ಬಿದ್ದುಬಿಟ್ಟಿತು. ಹೇ ನೃಪೋತ್ತಮ, ಅವನ ಮಾರ್ಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಮೃಗಗಳು ಅಪಸವ್ಯವಾಗಿ—ಎಡಬದಿಗೆ—ಚಲಿಸಿದವು।

Word by Word

• पपात: fell
• पपात: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• महती: great, huge
• महती: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• चोल्का: meteor/fireball
• चोल्का: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उल्का (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• निहत्य: having struck/destroyed
• निहत्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नि-हन् (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त/अव्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यबन्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive)

• रविमण्डलम्: the sun’s disc
• रविमण्डलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रवि (प्रातिपदिक) + मण्डल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (रवेः मण्डलम्)

• अपसव्यम्: counterclockwise, to the left
• अपसव्यम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अप + सव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (Adverb); अव्ययीभाव-समासः = ‘to the left/inauspiciously (counterclockwise)’

• मृगाः: deer/animals
• मृगाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• चक्रुः: did/made
• चक्रुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तस्य: of him/of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• मार्गे: on the path
• मार्गे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• नृपोत्तम: O best of kings
• नृपोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः = ‘श्रेष्ठः नृपः’

Speaker

Narrator addressing 'nṛpottama' (best of kings)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (नृपोत्तम)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A blazing meteor streaks across the sky as if striking the sun’s disk; the light turns eerie. Deer and other beasts cross leftward (apasavya) before the chariot; the king’s path is marked by dread.

Characters & Entities

• Ravi (Sun)
• Colkā (meteor)
• Mṛga (beasts)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The cosmos mirrors moral disorder; ominous celestial and terrestrial signs foretell the failure of adharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is praised in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.