Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

एतस्मिन्नंतरे प्राप्तो बाणहस्तो जराभिधः । दाशपुत्रोऽतिकृष्णांगो मत्स्यघाती च पापकृत्

Transliteration

etasminnaṃtare prāpto bāṇahasto jarābhidhaḥ | dāśaputro'tikṛṣṇāṃgo matsyaghātī ca pāpakṛt

Translation

അപ്പോഴേക്കും ‘ജരാ’ എന്ന പേരുള്ളവൻ ബാണം കൈയിൽ പിടിച്ച് എത്തി—മത്സ്യക്കാരന്റെ മകൻ, അതികൃഷ്ണാംഗൻ, മത്സ്യഘാതിയും പാപകർത്താവും.

Word by Word

• एतस्मिन्: in this
• एतस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• अन्तरे: in the interval, meanwhile
• अन्तरे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• प्राप्तः: arrived
• प्राप्तः: Karta (Arriver/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आप् (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग) → प्राप्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (past participle); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्तरि-प्रयोगे ‘having arrived’

• बाणहस्तः: with an arrow in hand
• बाणहस्तः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बाण (प्रातिपदिक) + हस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (बाणः हस्ते यस्य/बाणं हस्ते धारयन्)

• जराभिधः: named Jarā
• जराभिधः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जरा (प्रातिपदिक) + अभिध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (जराभिधः = ‘whose name is Jarā’)

• दाशपुत्रः: son of a fisherman
• दाशपुत्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दाश (प्रातिपदिक) + पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (fisherman’s son)

• अतिकृष्णाङ्गः: very dark-bodied
• अतिकृष्णाङ्गः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति (अव्यय/उपसर्गवत्) + कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (अतिकृष्णम् अङ्गं यस्य/very dark-limbed)

• मत्स्यघाती: fish-slayer
• मत्स्यघाती: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत्स्य (प्रातिपदिक) + घातिन् (प्रातिपदिक; √हन्-भाव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (fish-killer)

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

• पापकृत्: evil-doer
• पापकृत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत् (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √कृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (evil-doer)

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet; continuing narrator.

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dark-limbed fisherman’s son, Jarā, enters the coastal grove with bow in hand, moving cautiously toward the silent shore where the Lord is unseen in stillness.

Characters & Entities

• Jarā (hunter)
• Fisherman lineage (dāśa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic narratives often show how destiny unfolds through ordinary agents, contrasting sacred presence with flawed human action.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, where the climactic episode involving Jarā occurs.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse introduces a narrative character (Jarā) and his attributes.