Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

तत्राससाद तां व्याघ्रो दंष्ट्रोत्कटमुखावहः । सा तं दृष्टवती पापं त्रासमाप मृगीव हि

Transliteration

tatrāsasāda tāṃ vyāghro daṃṣṭrotkaṭamukhāvahaḥ | sā taṃ dṛṣṭavatī pāpaṃ trāsamāpa mṛgīva hi

Translation

അവിടെ ഭീകരമുഖവും തെളിഞ്ഞ ദംഷ്ട്രകളും ഉള്ള ഒരു വ്യാഘ്രൻ അവളെ നേരിട്ടു. ആ പാപമൃഗത്തെ കണ്ടതുമാത്രം അവൾ മാൻപോലെ മഹാഭീതിയിൽ വിറച്ചു.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक/adverb of place)

• आससाद: approached, came upon
• आससाद: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ- सद् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ताम्: her
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• व्याघ्रः: tiger
• व्याघ्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याघ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• दंष्ट्रोत्कटमुखावहः: having a fearsome mouth with prominent fangs
• दंष्ट्रोत्कटमुखावहः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दंष्ट्रा + उत्कट + मुख + आवह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: बहुव्रीहि (यस्य दंष्ट्रा उत्कटा मुखं च आवहति/धारयति); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (व्याघ्रः)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• दृष्टवती: having seen
• दृष्टवती: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → दृष्टवत् (कृदन्त/क्तवत्)
• Form: क्तवत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (perfect participle used predicatively); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘having seen’

• पापम्: wicked
• पापम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (तम्)

• त्रासम्: fear, terror
• त्रासम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• आप: attained, felt
• आप: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मृगी: a doe
• मृगी: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृगी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• इव: like
• इव: Upama (Comparison marker/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमावाचक/comparative particle)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निश्चय/indeed, emphatic particle)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda (Arbudakṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In a dim forest clearing on Arbuda, a tiger with bared fangs confronts a lone cow; the cow recoils like a doe, eyes wide with terror, dust and leaves swirling.

Characters & Entities

• tiger (vyāghra)
• Kapilā (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Crisis reveals character; fear becomes the catalyst for vows, truth, and dharmic negotiation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Arbuda mountain setting frames the episode; no named tīrtha appears in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.