Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 121

Devanagari script

भगनेत्रे तथोत्पाट्य कराग्रेणैव लीलया । निहत्य मुष्टिना दंडैः सप्ताश्वं च न्यपातयत्

Transliteration

bhaganetre tathotpāṭya karāgreṇaiva līlayā | nihatya muṣṭinā daṃḍaiḥ saptāśvaṃ ca nyapātayat

Translation

അവൻ വിരലുകളുടെ അഗ്രങ്ങളാൽ ലീലാമാത്രമായി ഭഗന്റെ കണ്ണുകൾ പിഴുതെടുത്തു; പിന്നെ മുഷ്ടിയാൽ ദണ്ഡനെ വധിച്ച് സപ്താശ്വനെയും നിലംപതിപ്പിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• भगनेत्रे: Bhaga’s two eyes
• भगनेत्रे: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भग (प्रातिपदिक) + नेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), द्विवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (भगस्य नेत्रे)

• तथा: thus, likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: thus/likewise)

• उत्पाट्य: having torn out
• उत्पाट्य: Kriya (Gerundial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत् + पट्/पाट् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive), ‘having torn out’; उपसर्ग: उत्-

• कराग्रेण: with the tip of (his) hand
• कराग्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर (प्रातिपदिक) + अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (करस्य अग्रेण)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (particle: indeed/just)

• लीलया: playfully, as a sport
• लीलया: Karana (Manner/Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लीला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• निहत्य: having slain/struck down
• निहत्य: Kriya (Gerundial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive), ‘having struck down/killed’; उपसर्ग: नि-

• मुष्टिना: with (his) fist
• मुष्टिना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• दण्डैः: with staffs/clubs
• दण्डैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• सप्ताश्वम्: the seven-horsed one (Sun)
• सप्ताश्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्त (प्रातिपदिक) + अश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (सप्त अश्वाः यस्य)

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

• न्यपातयत्: he made (him) fall, felled
• न्यपातयत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; उपसर्ग: नि- (न्य्-आदेश)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator within Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra (Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/śaunaka-led assembly (frame-typical)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A gaṇa-lord in fierce yet playful dominance plucks out Bhaga’s eyes with fingertip ease, strikes Daṇḍa down with a clenched fist, and fells Saptāśva; devas recoil amid a sacrificial or celestial battlefield atmosphere.

Characters & Entities

• Bhaga
• Daṇḍa
• Saptāśva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa dramatizes the collapse of ego-driven ritual power; divine retribution is swift when dharma is violated.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpathakṣetra (Prabhāsa), with the episode functioning as a mahātmya-style glorification through sacred narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a mythic narrative connected to a sacrificial context.