Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

यदा च चित्रः संनीतो यमदूतैः सुरप्रिये । सशरीरो महाप्राज्ञो यमादेशपरायणैः

Transliteration

yadā ca citraḥ saṃnīto yamadūtaiḥ surapriye | saśarīro mahāprājño yamādeśaparāyaṇaiḥ

Translation

കൂടാതെ, ഹേ സുരപ്രിയേ, യമന്റെ ആജ്ഞയിൽ പരായണരായ യമദൂതന്മാർ മഹാപ്രാജ്ഞനായ ചിത്രനെ ശരീരസഹിതം കൊണ്ടുപോയപ്പോൾ.

Word by Word

• यदा: when
• यदा: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb: 'when')

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

• चित्रः: Citra (proper name)
• चित्रः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• संनीतः: was led (brought)
• संनीतः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-नी (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'having been led/brought'

• यमदूतैः: by Yama's messengers
• यमदूतैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम-दूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन (Plural)

• सुरप्रिये: O beloved of the gods
• सुरप्रिये: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर-प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; (addressing)

• सशरीरः: bodily, with his body
• सशरीरः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स-शरीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'with body'

• महाप्राज्ञः: very wise
• महाप्राज्ञः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा-प्राज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• यमादेशपरायणैः: devoted to Yama's orders
• यमादेशपरायणैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यम-आदेश-परायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; 'devoted to Yama's command' (qualifying yamadūtaiḥ)

Speaker

Unspecified in excerpt (within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya narration; traditionally Sūta narrating to sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Citrāditya-kṣetra sub-māhātmya (Citra episode)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yama’s messengers, stern and otherworldly, carry the wise Citra bodily; the scene is set near a sacred precinct with a distant Sun shrine; the atmosphere is twilight, conveying inevitability and awe.

Characters & Entities

• Citra
• Yamadūta
• Yama

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Karmic law operates with certainty; divine order is executed through appointed agents (Yamadūtas).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader context is Prabhāsakṣetra; this verse recalls the origin-story connected to Citrāditya’s locale.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it is narrative background supporting the māhātmya of the place and deity.