Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 88

Devanagari script

तृणं च मुशलीभूतमण्वपि तत्र दृश्यते । ब्रह्मदंडकृतं सर्वमिति तद्विद्धि भामिनि

Transliteration

tṛṇaṃ ca muśalībhūtamaṇvapi tatra dṛśyate | brahmadaṃḍakṛtaṃ sarvamiti tadviddhi bhāmini

Translation

അവിടെ പുല്ലിന്റെ തുമ്പുപോലും അണുവോളം പോലും മുഷലമായി മാറിയതായി കാണപ്പെട്ടു; ഓ ഭാമിനി, ഇതെല്ലാം ബ്രഹ്മദണ്ഡവിധാനത്താൽ സംഭവിച്ചതെന്നു അറിക।

Word by Word

• तृणम्: grass, straw
• तृणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तृण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1/2), एकवचन

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

• मुशलीभूतम्: become a club (turned into a pestle/club)
• मुशलीभूतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुशली-भूत (कृदन्त; भू धातु (भू—सत्तायाम्) + क्त)
• Form: भूत (past passive participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण

• अणु: a small particle, atom
• अणु: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अणु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन (अव्यक्त-लिङ्गप्रयोग)

• अपि: even, also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle; emphasis/inclusion)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• दृश्यते: is seen, appears
• दृश्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु; दृश्—दर्शन)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense)

• ब्रह्मदण्डकृतम्: made by Brahma’s staff (Brahma-daṇḍa)
• ब्रह्मदण्डकृतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्मदण्ड-कृत (कृदन्त; कृ धातु (कृ—करणे) + क्त)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्मदण्डस्य कृतम्), क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण

• सर्वम्: everything, all
• सर्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/वाक्यसमाप्ति-सूचक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• तत्: that (fact/thing)
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2), एकवचन

• विद्धि: know, understand
• विद्धि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु; विद्—ज्ञान)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• भामिनि: O passionate/bright lady
• भामिनि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भामिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (8), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/ Ugraśravas), narrating

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī/Pārvatī (vocative: 'bhāmini')

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A wide view of the grove: even tiny blades of grass appear as clubs; an unseen cosmic decree hangs over the scene, as if Brahmā’s rod of law has touched the earth.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Brahma-daṇḍa
• Muśala

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cosmic law (daṇḍa) operates beyond human control; when divine decree ripens, nature itself aligns with that outcome.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, portrayed as the stage where Brahma-daṇḍa and Kāla converge in sacred history.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None stated; the verse explains causation (Brahma-daṇḍa) rather than prescribing practice.