Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 72

Devanagari script

चैत्रशुक्लप्रतिपदः पंचमीदिनपंचके । रावणो युध्यमानो ऽभूत्प्रचुरो रक्षसां वधः

Transliteration

caitraśuklapratipadaḥ paṃcamīdinapaṃcake | rāvaṇo yudhyamāno 'bhūtpracuro rakṣasāṃ vadhaḥ

Translation

ചൈത്ര ശുക്ല പ്രതിപദ മുതൽ പഞ്ചമി വരെയുള്ള അഞ്ചുദിവസങ്ങളിൽ, രാവണൻ യുദ്ധം തുടരുമ്പോൾ രാക്ഷസന്മാരുടെ മഹാ സംഹാരം നടന്നു.

Word by Word

• चैत्र-शुक्ल-प्रतिपदः: the first lunar day of the bright fortnight of Caitra
• चैत्र-शुक्ल-प्रतिपदः: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चैत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + शुक्ल (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रतिपद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (चैत्रस्य शुक्लस्य प्रतिपत्)

• पंचमी-दिन-पंचके: in the five-day period (beginning with) the fifth day
• पंचमी-दिन-पंचके: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पंचमी (प्रातिपदिक) + दिन (प्रातिपदिक) + पंचक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (पंचम्याः दिनानां पंचके)

• रावणः: Rāvaṇa
• रावणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रावण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• युध्यमानः: fighting
• युध्यमानः: Karta (Agentive qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: युध् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Present active participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; परस्मैपदी; अर्थः—युद्धं कुर्वन्

• अभूत्: was / occurred
• अभूत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदी

• प्रचुरः: abundant, great
• प्रचुरः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रचुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (वधस्य)

• रक्षसाम्: of the rākṣasas (demons)
• रक्षसाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्षस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• वधः: slaughter, killing
• वधः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Unnamed Purāṇic narrator (contextual narrator within Brāhma Khaṇḍa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A day-by-day war tableau: Rāvaṇa’s forces surging, then collapsing under intense combat; heaps of fallen rākṣasas; banners, dust, and conch-calls marking the Caitra bright-fortnight opening.

Characters & Entities

• Caitra (month)
• Rāvaṇa
• Rākṣasas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Adharma sustained through violence culminates in inevitable loss; righteous perseverance prevails over demonic power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is explicitly named in this verse; it serves as a Purāṇic time-record of the dharmic victory narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse is a chronological account tied to lunar days (tithis).