Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

रक्तवर्णा महाजिह्वाऽक्षया वै पापकारिणी । एतासामन्वये जाताः पृथिव्यां ब्रह्मराक्षसाः

Transliteration

raktavarṇā mahājihvā'kṣayā vai pāpakāriṇī | etāsāmanvaye jātāḥ pṛthivyāṃ brahmarākṣasāḥ

Translation

അവർ രക്തവർണ്ണികൾ, മഹാജിഹ്വകൾ, അക്ഷയികൾ, സത്യമായും പാപകർമ്മിണികൾ. ഇവരുടെ വംശപരമ്പരയിൽ ഭൂമിയിൽ ബ്രഹ്മ-രാക്ഷസർ ജനിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• रक्तवर्णा: red-colored
• रक्तवर्णा: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रक्त-वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (स्त्रीलिङ्ग-व्यक्तेः)

• महाजिह्वा: having a great tongue
• महाजिह्वा: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा-जिह्वा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• अक्षया: imperishable
• अक्षया: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नञ्-समासार्थक (negation)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक अव्यय

• पापकारिणी: doing evil; sin-causing
• पापकारिणी: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप-कारिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण; ‘कारिणी’ = कृदन्त-आधारित प्रातिपदिक (कृ-धातु, णिनि)

• एतासाम्: of these (women)
• एतासाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• अन्वये: in the lineage
• अन्वये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्वय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• जाताः: were born
• जाताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘born’ (predicate adjective)

• पृथिव्याम्: on the earth
• पृथिव्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• ब्रह्मराक्षसाः: brahmarākṣasas (brahmin-demons)
• ब्रह्मराक्षसाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्म-राक्षस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

Śiva (deduced from context and address to Devī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Interlocutor within Prabhāsa-māhātmya frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A fearsome red-hued rākṣasī with an unnaturally long tongue stands as an archetype of inexhaustible wrongdoing; behind her, shadowy brahma-rākṣasas emerge as a grim lineage across the earth.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmarākṣasa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Adharma and corruption of sacred conduct are shown to yield fearful consequences, symbolized by the birth of Brahma-rākṣasas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra; the māhātmya context uses such accounts to magnify the sacred order surrounding the kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed in this verse.