Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

तं तथाविधमालोक्य तत्र ये जलचारिणः । यादोगणास्ते मुमुचुर्दाहभीता महास्वनम्

Transliteration

taṃ tathāvidhamālokya tatra ye jalacāriṇaḥ | yādogaṇāste mumucurdāhabhītā mahāsvanam

Translation

സാഗരനെ ആ ഭയാനകാവസ്ഥയിൽ കണ്ടപ്പോൾ അവിടെയുള്ള ജലചരങ്ങൾ—സമുദ്രജീവികളുടെ കൂട്ടങ്ങൾ—ദഹനഭീതിയാൽ മഹാനാദം മുഴക്കി.

Word by Word

• तम्: him/that (ocean)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• तथाविधम्: of such a kind
• तथाविधम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तथा (अव्यय) + विध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावः (तथा- + विध = of such a kind)

• आलोक्य: having seen
• आलोक्य: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-लोक् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), ‘having seen’

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Desha-adhikarana (Locative sense/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb of place)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• जलचारिणः: water-moving creatures
• जलचारिणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक) + चारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (जले चारिणः = water-dwellers)

• यादोगणाः: groups of aquatic beings/fishes
• यादोगणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यादस् (प्रातिपदिक) + गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (यादसां गणाः)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

• मुमुचुः: released/uttered
• मुमुचुः: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• दाहभीताः: afraid of burning
• दाहभीताः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दाह (प्रातिपदिक) + भीत (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (दाहेन भीताः = afraid of burning)

• महास्वनम्: a great sound/cry
• महास्वनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + स्वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् स्वनः)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced: Māhātmya narration style within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa Kṣetra (Ocean waters near saṅgama)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sea-creatures—fish, makara, turtles, serpentine beings—cluster near the surface, mouths open in a great roar; the water is lit by an ominous fiery glow, suggesting imminent scorching.

Characters & Entities

• Sāgara (Ocean)
• Yādogaṇa (sea-creatures)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When cosmic forces shift, beings tremble; dharma’s role is to restore safety through divine governance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Prabhāsa coastal sacred zone where the Ocean bears the Vāḍava fire after Sarasvatī’s confluence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is narrative description setting up divine intervention.