Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

तं पर्यवेषद्दैत्येंद्र इल्वलः प्रहसन्निव । शतहस्तप्रमाणेन राशिमन्नस्य सोऽकरोत्

Transliteration

taṃ paryaveṣaddaityeṃdra ilvalaḥ prahasanniva | śatahastapramāṇena rāśimannasya so'karot

Translation

അപ്പോൾ ദൈത്യേന്ദ്രൻ ഇല്വലൻ പരിഹസിക്കുന്നപോലെ പുഞ്ചിരിച്ചുകൊണ്ട് സേവിച്ചു; നൂറുകൈ അളവോളം ഒരു മഹത്തായ അന്നരാശി ഒരുക്കി।

Word by Word

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• paryaveṣat: served, attended
• paryaveṣat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √viṣ (धातु) उपसर्ग-परि +
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; 'served/attended'

• daitya-indra: O lord of the Daityas
• daitya-indra: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daitya (प्रातिपदिक) + indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• ilvalaḥ: Ilvala
• ilvalaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ilvala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• prahasan: laughing
• prahasan: Kriya (Participial action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √has (धातु) उपसर्ग-प्र +
• Form: शतृ (Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'laughing'

• iva: as if
• iva: Sambandha (Comparison marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमानसूचक (particle of comparison)

• śata-hasta-pramāṇena: by a measure of a hundred cubits/hands
• śata-hasta-pramāṇena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक) + hasta (प्रातिपदिक) + pramāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; करण; 'with a measure of a hundred hands'

• rāśim: a heap
• rāśim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāśi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• annasya: of food
• annasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• akarot: made
• akarot: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातu)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ilvala, the daitya-chief, smiling slyly, arranges an immense mound of food before the sage—an exaggerated heap suggesting both opulence and danger.

Characters & Entities

• Ilvala
• Agastya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Adharma often hides behind showy offerings; the wise perceive intention, not merely abundance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, the tīrtha-stage for this dharma-victory narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it describes the demonic hospitality and the scale of the offering.