Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

दृष्ट्वा ज्ञात्वा स्तुतिं चक्रे ध्यात्वा देवं महेश्वरम् । जयंति दुष्टदैत्येंद्रयुद्धध्यानांकितं वपुः । बिभ्रति भ्रातरो ये ते पंचेंद्रसमविक्रमाः

Transliteration

dṛṣṭvā jñātvā stutiṃ cakre dhyātvā devaṃ maheśvaram | jayaṃti duṣṭadaityeṃdrayuddhadhyānāṃkitaṃ vapuḥ | bibhrati bhrātaro ye te paṃceṃdrasamavikramāḥ

Translation

കണ്ടറിഞ്ഞ് അവൻ മഹേശ്വരദേവനെ ധ്യാനിച്ച് സ്തുതി ചെയ്തു. ദുഷ്ട ദൈത്യേന്ദ്രന്മാരോടുള്ള യുദ്ധധ്യാനത്തിന്റെ അടയാളങ്ങൾ പതിഞ്ഞ ദേഹങ്ങൾ ധരിച്ച്, അഞ്ചു ഇന്ദ്രന്മാർക്കു തുല്യമായ പരാക്രമമുള്ള ആ സഹോദരന്മാർ ജയവാന്മാർ.

Word by Word

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दृश् (दृश्, धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्तः (gerund/absolutive) ‘having seen’

• ज्ञात्वा: having known
• ज्ञात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ज्ञा (ज्ञा, धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्तः (gerund) ‘having known/understood’

• स्तुतिम्: a hymn/praise
• स्तुतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्तुति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative) एकवचनम्

• चक्रे: he made/composed
• चक्रे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (कृ, धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect); आत्मनेपदम्; प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person) एकवचनम्

• ध्यात्वा: having meditated on
• ध्यात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ध्यै (ध्यै, धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्तः (gerund) ‘having meditated’

• देवम्: the god
• देवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative) एकवचनम्

• महेश्वरम्: Maheśvara (Great Lord)
• महेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative) एकवचनम्; कर्मधारयः ‘महान् ईश्वरः’

• जयन्ति: they conquer/are victorious
• जयन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √जि (जि, धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present); परस्मैपदम्; प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person) बहुवचनम्

• दुष्टदैत्येन्द्रयुद्धध्यानाङ्कितम्: marked by meditation on battle with the wicked demon-lord
• दुष्टदैत्येन्द्रयुद्धध्यानाङ्कितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुष्ट + दैत्य + इन्द्र + युद्ध + ध्यान + अङ्कित (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative) एकवचनम्; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमासः (determinative chain) ‘दुष्ट-दैत्येन्द्रस्य युद्ध-ध्यानैः अङ्कितम्’

• वपुः: body/form
• वपुः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वपुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative) एकवचनम् (form identical to nominative)

• बिभ्रति: they bear/carry
• बिभ्रति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भृ (भृ, धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present); परस्मैपदम्; प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person) बहुवचनम्

• भ्रातरः: brothers
• भ्रातरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भ्रातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/Nominative) बहुवचनम्

• ये: who
• ये: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• ते: they/those
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; निर्देशवाचक-सर्वनाम (correlative pronoun)

• पञ्चेन्द्रसमविक्रमाः: having prowess equal to five Indras
• पञ्चेन्द्रसमविक्रमाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च + इन्द्र + सम + विक्रम (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (determinative) ‘पञ्चेन्द्रैः समः विक्रमः येषाम्’ (used as bahuvrīhi-sense adjective though formed as determinative chain)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced; Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (Naimiṣāraṇya frame, contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa devotee, having beheld the deity, stands in reverent posture offering a hymn; behind him appear fierce yet auspicious brothers—gaṇa-like guardians—bearing battle-scarred, yogic bodies, radiating Indra-like prowess.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara
• Daityas
• Indra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Praise (stuti) rooted in meditation on Śiva aligns one with protective divine forces that uphold dharma against adharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpatha-kṣetra in Prabhāsa, where Śiva’s guardians are celebrated as victorious protectors.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Stuti (hymnic praise) and dhyāna (meditation) of Maheśvara are implicitly recommended.