Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

दृष्ट्वा प्राह तदा विप्रं भक्षणार्थमुपस्थितम् । भक्षयिष्यामि वै विप्र त्वामहं नात्र संशयः

Transliteration

dṛṣṭvā prāha tadā vipraṃ bhakṣaṇārthamupasthitam | bhakṣayiṣyāmi vai vipra tvāmahaṃ nātra saṃśayaḥ

Translation

ഭക്ഷണാർത്ഥമായി സമീപത്തെത്തിയ ബ്രാഹ്മണനെ കണ്ടപ്പോൾ അവൻ പറഞ്ഞു— “ഹേ വിപ്രാ, ഞാൻ നിന്നെ തീർച്ചയായും ഭക്ഷിക്കും; ഇതിൽ സംശയമില്ല.”

Word by Word

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) त्वा (क्त्वा/अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having seen)

• प्राह: said
• प्राह: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + अह्/ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; ‘said’

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• विप्रम्: the brahmin
• विप्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• भक्षणार्थम्: for eating
• भक्षणार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भक्षण (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयुक्तं; द्वितीया-तत्पुरुषः (भक्षणस्य अर्थः) ‘for eating’ (purpose adverbial)

• उपस्थितम्: present, having come near
• उपस्थितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उप + स्था (धातु) क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP) कर्तरि-प्राय; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (विप्रम्)

• भक्षयिष्यामि: I will eat/devour
• भक्षयिष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Emphasis (Nishchaya/निश्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक/पादपूरण (emphatic particle)

• विप्र: O brahmin
• विप्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• त्वाम्: you
• त्वाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Negation (Nishedha/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• अत्र: here, in this matter
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb: here/in this matter)

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Pratishedha-vishaya (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Saudāsa (the king, in a man-eating condition/curse-context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The tiger-faced king fixes his gaze on the brāhmaṇa and declares he will devour him, framing the brāhmaṇa as prey.

Characters & Entities

• Saudāsa
• Vipra (brāhmaṇa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unchecked impulse and adharma lead to terror and moral collapse; the narrative sets the stage for dharma to reassert itself through truth and disciplined action.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is within the Arbuda-khaṇḍa of the Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa; the immediate line is narrative-driven rather than directly praising a specific tīrtha in this shloka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit vrata, snāna, dāna, or japa is prescribed in this verse.