Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

स तु तेन प्रहारेण विसंज्ञो निषसाद ह । अथ मुष्ट्या हतः कुम्भे नाग ऐरावणस्तदा

Transliteration

sa tu tena prahāreṇa visaṃjño niṣasāda ha | atha muṣṭyā hataḥ kumbhe nāga airāvaṇastadā

Translation

ആ പ്രഹാരത്താൽ അവൻ ബോധംകെട്ട് വീണു. അപ്പോൾ തന്നേ ആ നിമിഷത്തിൽ ഐരാവത ആനയുടെ കുംഭസ്ഥാനത്ത് മുഷ്ടിപ്രഹാരം പതിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद्) (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (तु) (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विरोध/विशेषार्थक particle) — but/indeed

• tena: by that
• tena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद्) (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• prahāreṇa: by the blow/strike
• prahāreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prahāra (प्रहार) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचनम्

• visaṃjñaḥ: unconscious
• visaṃjñaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi + saṃjñā (संज्ञा) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम्; नञ्-तत्समः/उपसर्गयुक्तः — ‘deprived of consciousness’

• niṣasāda: sat down/fell down
• niṣasāda: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni + sad (सद्) (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• ha: indeed (narrative particle)
• ha: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ha (ह) (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्मरण/वृत्तान्त-प्रदर्शक particle)

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अथ) (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अनन्तर/प्रसङ्ग-बोधकः) — then

• muṣṭyā: with a fist
• muṣṭyā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muṣṭi (मुष्टि) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचनम्

• hataḥ: was struck
• hataḥ: Karma (Patient)
• Type: Verb
• Root: han (हन्) (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम्; कर्मणि — ‘struck/killed’

• kumbhe: on the temple (of the elephant)
• kumbhe: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kumbha (कुम्भ) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचनम्; अधिकरणम् (location)

• nāgaḥ: the elephant
• nāgaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāga (नाग) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम्

• airāvaṇaḥ: Airāvata
• airāvaṇaḥ: Apposition (Same referent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: airāvaṇa (ऐरावण) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचनम्; विशेष्य-नाम (proper noun)

• tadā: at that time
• tadā: Adhikarana (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (तदा) (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचकः) — at that time

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Purāṇic narration style within Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The elephant reels and collapses senseless; in the same breath Airāvaṇa is struck on the temple by a clenched fist, emphasizing raw, close-quarters ferocity amid the arrow-storm.

Characters & Entities

• Airāvaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even mighty celestial powers can be overwhelmed; refuge in Dharma and the Lord becomes the true support in crisis.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra (Prabhāsa), presented as a stage where divine events reveal the kṣetra’s greatness.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is narrative description within the Prabhāsa Māhātmya.