Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

अगृह्णाच्च्यवनः सोममश्विनोर्देवयोस्तदा । तमिन्द्रो वारयामास मा गृहाण तयोर्ग्रहम्

Transliteration

agṛhṇāccyavanaḥ somamaśvinordevayostadā | tamindro vārayāmāsa mā gṛhāṇa tayorgraham

Translation

അപ്പോൾ ച്യവനൻ ആ രണ്ടു ദിവ്യ അശ്വിനുകൾക്കായി സോമം ഗ്രഹിച്ചു. ഇന്ദ്രൻ തടഞ്ഞു പറഞ്ഞു—“അവർക്കുള്ള ഗ്രഹം (പങ്ക്) എടുക്കരുത്।”

Word by Word

• अगृह्णात्: took, accepted
• अगृह्णात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/past), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• च्यवनः: Cyavana
• च्यवनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: च्यवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• सोमम्: Soma (sacrificial drink)
• सोमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• अश्विनोः: of the two Aśvins
• अश्विनोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्विन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), द्विवचन

• देवयोः: of the two gods
• देवयोः: Sambandha (Genitive qualifier/सम्बन्ध-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), द्विवचन; ‘अश्विनोः’ इति विशेषणम्

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण) — तस्मिन् काले (then)

• तम्: that (Soma)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘सोमम्’ इत्यर्थे (refers to Soma)

• इन्द्रः: Indra
• इन्द्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• वारयामास: prevented, forbade
• वारयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वृ (धातु) (णिच् causative: वारय-)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; णिच्-प्रयोगः (causative: prevented)

• मा: do not
• मा: Sambandha (Prohibition marker/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेधार्थक निपात; prohibitive particle)

• गृहाण: take, accept
• गृहाण: Kriya (Command/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपदम्, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन

• तयोः: of those two (Aśvins)
• तयोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), द्विवचन; ‘अश्विनोः’ इत्यर्थे

• ग्रहम्: portion/cup (of Soma), share
• ग्रहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्रह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; यज्ञे सोमग्रहः (cup/portion)

Speaker

Narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Cyavana, resolute, lifts the Soma offering for the Aśvins; Indra intervenes, commanding him to stop, creating a charged moment at the fire altar.

Characters & Entities

• Cyavana
• Aśvins (Nasatyau)
• Indra
• Soma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual privilege and divine status are tested in yajña; true dharma is clarified through principled challenge and scriptural reasoning.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The episode unfolds within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra frame, enhancing the site’s māhātmya through a major divine-ritual dispute.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The taking of the Soma-graha (offering portion) for the Aśvins is the ritual act under dispute.