Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

आक्रम्यात्र महामायो दुराधर्षो दुरत्ययः । न ते जनाः समायांति तद्भयादति शंकिताः

Transliteration

ākramyātra mahāmāyo durādharṣo duratyayaḥ | na te janāḥ samāyāṃti tadbhayādati śaṃkitāḥ

Translation

ഈ സ്ഥലത്തെ കീഴടക്കി, നേരിടാൻ ദുഷ്കരനും അതിജീവിക്കാൻ പ്രയാസമുള്ളവനുമായ ആ മഹാമായാവി ഇവിടെ അധിപതിയായി. അവന്റെ ഭയത്താൽ അത്യന്തം ആശങ്കിതരായി നിന്റെ ജനങ്ങൾ ഇവിടെ വരുന്നതില്ല.

Word by Word

• ākramya: having attacked
• ākramya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial to main verb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā-√kram (धातु) → ākramya (क्त्वान्त/अव्ययभाव)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having attacked)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• mahāmāyaḥ: the great illusionist (one of great māyā)
• mahāmāyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + māyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास (महती माया यस्य/महामाया); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• durādharṣaḥ: hard to assail
• durādharṣaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur + ādharṣa (प्रातिपदिक; ā-√dhṛṣ (धातु) → dharṣa)
• Form: उपपद-तत्पुरुष/नञ्-समकक्ष (dur-); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

• duratyayaḥ: hard to overcome
• duratyayaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur + atyaya (प्रातिपदिक; ati-√i (धातु) → atyaya)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (dur-); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation particle)

• te: they, those
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम (context: those people)

• janāḥ: people
• janāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• samāyānti: come together, arrive
• samāyānti: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√yā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• tadbhayāt: from fear of that (him)
• tadbhayāt: Apādāna (Source/Cause/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad + bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी: tasya bhayāt); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; अपादानार्थ (cause/source)

• ati: very, exceedingly
• ati: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ati (अव्यय)
• Form: अत्यर्थक अव्यय (intensifier)

• śaṃkitāḥ: frightened, apprehensive
• śaṃkitāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √śaṅk (धातु) → śaṃkita (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (of janāḥ)

Speaker

Dharmāraṇya-kṣetra Adhidevatā (the presiding deity of Dharmāraṇya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Local kṣetra with Dīrghikā (name not specified)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rāma

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A shadowy, oppressive presence over a sacred precinct; empty pathways and closed gates; villagers peering from afar, hesitant to approach; the ‘mahāmāyā’ suggested through swirling dark aura rather than explicit form.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Mahāmāya (asura/daitya figure)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When fear and delusion dominate, people abandon sacred duty; removing such oppression restores dharma and pilgrimage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya-kṣetra, described as being overrun and therefore avoided.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse motivates protective intervention so rites and visits can resume.