Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

संकर्षणश्च शुशुभे चंद्रादित्यौ घनैरिव । गृहीत्वा धनुषी दिव्ये शीघ्रं संयोज्य चाशुगान्

Transliteration

saṃkarṣaṇaśca śuśubhe caṃdrādityau ghanairiva | gṛhītvā dhanuṣī divye śīghraṃ saṃyojya cāśugān

Translation

മേഘങ്ങൾക്കിടയിൽ ഉദിക്കുന്ന ചന്ദ്രസൂര്യന്മാരെപ്പോലെ സംകർഷണൻ ദീപ്തനായി. ദിവ്യധനുസ്സുകൾ കൈക്കൊണ്ട് വേഗത്തിൽ അമ്പുകൾ ഘടിപ്പിച്ച് സജ്ജനായി.

Word by Word

• saṃkarṣaṇaḥ: Saṃkarṣaṇa
• saṃkarṣaṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃkarṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• śuśubhe: shone/appeared splendid
• śuśubhe: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śubh (शुभ्) (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), आत्मनेपदी, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• caṃdrādityau: the moon and the sun
• caṃdrādityau: Upamāna (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caṃdra (प्रातिपदिक) + āditya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समासः (copulative) = चन्द्र + आदित्य; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन (Dual)

• ghanaiḥ: by/with clouds
• ghanaiḥ: Karana (Instrument in simile/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ghana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• iva: like/as
• iva: Sambandha (Simile marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमा-वाचक-अव्यय (particle of comparison)

• gṛhītvā: having taken/held
• gṛhītvā: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √grah (ग्रह्) (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund)

• dhanuṣī: two bows
• dhanuṣī: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhanus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, द्विवचन

• divye: divine
• divye: Karma-visheṣaṇa (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: divya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, द्विवचन (agreeing with dhanuṣī)

• śīghram: quickly
• śīghram: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śīghram (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• saṃyojya: having fitted/joined (strung)
• saṃyojya: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam + √yuj (युज्) (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-प्राय (absolutive/gerund; -ya form), उपसर्गः sam-

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• āśugān: swift arrows
• āśugān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āśuga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator within Dvārakā-māhātmya context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Saṃkarṣaṇa appears luminous like sun and moon breaking through clouds; he raises two divine bows, swiftly nocking arrows—calm mastery before release.

Characters & Entities

• Saṃkarṣaṇa (Balarāma)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is safeguarded when divine strength is joined with swift, disciplined action.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā, presented in the Dvārakā-māhātmya as a sacred Vaiṣṇava kṣetra where dharma is defended.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse focuses on readiness to protect righteousness.