Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

ततो जहास सा देवीशनकैर्वृपसत्तम । मुखात्तस्यास्ततः सैन्यं निष्क्रांतमतिभीषणम्

Transliteration

tato jahāsa sā devīśanakairvṛpasattama | mukhāttasyāstataḥ sainyaṃ niṣkrāṃtamatibhīṣaṇam

Translation

പിന്നീട്, ഹേ നൃപശ്രേഷ്ഠാ, ആ ദേവി മന്ദമായി ചിരിച്ചു; അവളുടെ വായിൽ നിന്ന് അത്യന്തം ഭീകരമായ സൈന്യം പുറപ്പെട്ടു।

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-sambandha (Sequencer)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (तदनन्तरम्)

• जहास: laughed
• जहास: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: has (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• देवी: the goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• शनकैः: slowly
• शनकैः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śanakaiḥ (अव्यय-रूप)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = slowly/gently; रूपतः तृतीया-बहुवचनवत् स्थिरम्

• वृपसत्तम: O best of kings
• वृपसत्तम: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛpa + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारय-प्रायः संबोधन: ‘वृपेषु सत्तमः’ = best of kings; पुल्लिङ्ग; संबोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• मुखात्: from (her) mouth
• मुखात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन

• तस्याः: of her
• तस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; स्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी, एकवचन

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-sambandha (Sequencer)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (तदनन्तरम्)

• सैन्यम्: an army
• सैन्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sainya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• निष्क्रान्तम्: came forth
• निष्क्रान्तम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nis + kram (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘came out’

• अतिभीषणम्: very terrifying
• अतिभीषणम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ati + bhīṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (उपसर्गपूर्वक): ‘अति-भीषण’ = very terrible; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘सैन्यम्’ इति विशेषण

Speaker

Pulastya (narrating to a king, implied by vocative vṛpasattama/rājann)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda (Arbudācala)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (vṛpa-sattama)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī’s gentle laugh becomes cosmic; from her mouth pours forth a fearsome, organized host—an awe-filled contrast between softness and terror.

Characters & Entities

• Devī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine power protects dharma: the Goddess can manifest limitless aid when cosmic order is threatened.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The episode belongs to Arbuda-khaṇḍa within Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa, linked with the sacred Arbuda/Varaparvata region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

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