Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

प्रभासक्षेत्रमासाद्य स दैत्यः पापबुद्धिमान् । मेषरूपी च वातापिः कामरूपोऽभवत्क्षणात्

Transliteration

prabhāsakṣetramāsādya sa daityaḥ pāpabuddhimān | meṣarūpī ca vātāpiḥ kāmarūpo'bhavatkṣaṇāt

Translation

പ്രഭാസക്ഷേത്രത്തിൽ എത്തിയ ആ പാപബുദ്ധിയുള്ള ദൈത്യൻ വാതാപി ക്ഷണത്തിൽ തന്നെ കാമരൂപിയായി മോഷരൂപം ധരിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• प्रभासक्षेत्रम्: the Prabhāsa sacred region
• प्रभासक्षेत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास-क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक; घटकौ: प्रभास + क्षेत्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (षष्ठी/सम्बन्धः: प्रभासस्य क्षेत्रम्)

• आसाद्य: having reached
• आसाद्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-√सद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); ‘having reached/approached’

• स: he
• स: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• दैत्यः: the demon
• दैत्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पापबुद्धिमान्: evil-minded
• पापबुद्धिमान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप-बुद्धि-मत् (प्रातिपदिक; घटकौ: पाप + बुद्धि + मत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीह्यर्थे तत्पुरुष-निर्मित-विशेषणम् ‘पापा बुद्धिर्यस्य सः’

• मेषरूपी: having the form of a ram
• मेषरूपी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मेष-रूपिन् (प्रातिपदिक; घटकौ: मेष + रूपिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘मेषस्य रूपं यस्य’ (रूपिन्-प्रत्ययान्त)

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

• वातापिः: Vātāpi
• वातापिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वातापि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नाम

• कामरूपः: able to assume forms at will
• कामरूपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काम-रूप (प्रातिपदिक; घटकौ: काम + रूप)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः ‘कामं रूपं यस्य/कामरूपः’ (इच्छानुसार-रूपधारी)

• अभवत्: became
• अभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (imperfect/past), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• क्षणात्: in an instant; immediately
• क्षणात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source/हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान/हेतु-अर्थे), एकवचन; अव्ययीभाववत् ‘क्षणात्’ = immediately

Speaker

Narrator (within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A daitya arrives at the luminous coastal Prabhāsa; waves and temple silhouettes; Vātāpi transforms instantly into a ram—mid-metamorphosis—while the air remains charged with sacred presence.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa-kṣetra
• Vātāpi
• Daitya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Adharma often hides behind pleasing appearances; the verse warns that deceit can enter even sacred spaces, yet such spaces ultimately reveal truth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra is explicitly named—the Māhātmya frames it as a renowned sacred region (tīrtha-field) tied to major purāṇic events.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates the Daitya’s arrival and transformation.