Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 76

Devanagari script

सप्तमो रावणस्यार्थे जज्ञे दशरथात्मजः । अष्टमे द्वापरे विष्णुरष्टाविंशे पराशरात्

Transliteration

saptamo rāvaṇasyārthe jajñe daśarathātmajaḥ | aṣṭame dvāpare viṣṇuraṣṭāviṃśe parāśarāt

Translation

ഏഴാം അവതാരം ദശരഥന്റെ പുത്രനായി രാവണനാശാർത്ഥം ജനിച്ചു. എട്ടാം ദ്വാപരത്തിൽ വിഷ്ണു ഇരുപത്തെട്ടാം അവതാരമായി പരാശരനിൽ നിന്നു പ്രാദുർഭവിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• सप्तमः: the seventh
• सप्तमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रमवाचक-विशेषण, पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• रावणस्य: of Rāvaṇa
• रावणस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रावण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• अर्थे: for the sake/purpose
• अर्थे: Hetu/Purpose (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे/प्रयोजनार्थे ‘for the sake of’

• जज्ञे: was born
• जज्ञे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √जन् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• दशरथ-आत्मजः: son of Daśaratha
• दशरथ-आत्मजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दशरथ (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (दशरथस्य आत्मजः), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अष्टमे: in the eighth
• अष्टमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रमवाचक-विशेषण, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; qualifies (युगे) understood

• द्वापरे: in the Dvāpara age
• द्वापरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वापर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; locative ‘in Dvāpara (age)’

• विष्णुः: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अष्टाविंशे: in the twenty-eighth
• अष्टाविंशे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टाविंश (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-विशेषण, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; qualifies (युगे) understood

• पराशरात्: from Paraśara
• पराशरात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पराशर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; ablative ‘from Paraśara’ (as father/source)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Chronicle montage: Rāma as Daśaratha’s son poised with bow, a shadowed Rāvaṇa motif indicating the mission; alongside, a Dvāpara-era sage-line vignette with Parāśara and the birth/manifestation associated with him, set under a cosmic yuga-count inscription.

Characters & Entities

• Rāvaṇa
• Daśaratha
• Rāma
• Viṣṇu
• Parāśara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When adharma rises in the world, the Divine takes form with a clear purpose—restoring moral balance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra is the overarching tīrtha being celebrated in this section.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse focuses on avatāra purpose and lineage.