Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

प्रायो नैष्कृतिकाः पापा जिह्वोपस्थपरायणा । एवं देव्या हताः सर्वे बलातिबलसंयुताः

Transliteration

prāyo naiṣkṛtikāḥ pāpā jihvopasthaparāyaṇā | evaṃ devyā hatāḥ sarve balātibalasaṃyutāḥ

Translation

മിക്കവരും അവർ പാപികളും കപടികളും ആയിരുന്നു; നാവിന്റെയും കാമേന്ദ്രിയത്തിന്റെയും തൃഷ്ണകളിൽ പരായണർ. ഇങ്ങനെ ബലാതിബലമെന്ന മഹാബലം ഉണ്ടായിട്ടും അവർ എല്ലാവരും ദേവിയാൽ വധിക്കപ്പെട്ടു।

Word by Word

• प्रायः: mostly
• प्रायः: Sambandha/Modifier (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रायः (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रायः इति अव्यय (adverb: mostly/for the most part)

• नैष्कृतिकाः: criminal/evil-doers
• नैष्कृतिकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नैष्कृतिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘निष्कृति/दुष्कर्म’ प्रवृत्ताः इत्यर्थे (wicked)

• पापाः: sinful
• पापाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• जिह्वा: tongue
• जिह्वा: Sambandha (compound member/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जिह्वा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद

• उपस्थ: genitals
• उपस्थ: Sambandha (compound member/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपस्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद (जननेन्द्रिय)

• परायणाः: devoted/absorbed in
• परायणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण; ‘परं अयनं/आश्रयः’ अर्थे (devoted to)

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha/Modifier (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb: thus)

• देव्या: by the Goddess
• देव्या: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; करण

• हताः: killed/slain
• हताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हन् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे कर्तृसंबन्धि

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘सर्व’ सर्वनामसदृश

• बलातिबलसंयुताः: endowed with strength and great strength
• बलातिबलसंयुताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बल (प्रातिपदिक) + अतिबल (प्रातिपदिक) + संयुत (कृदन्त)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (बलं च अतिबलं च) + ‘संयुत’ (सम्-युज् धातु + क्त); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narration within Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya; speaker not explicit in the snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Wicked, deceitful ascetic-figures driven by appetite and lust are struck down by the Goddess; their famed strength (Balātibala) proves futile before divine wrath.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Balātibala

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unchecked appetite and lust lead to downfall; divine justice overcomes even extraordinary power when it is allied with adharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where the Goddess’ pāpa-destroying victory is celebrated.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the implied discipline is restraint of senses as a dharmic ideal.