Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

च्यवनस्य च सप्तैव जाबालेर्द्विशतं मुनेः । वालखिल्याश्रमे पुण्ये षट्छतानि दुरात्मभिः

Transliteration

cyavanasya ca saptaiva jābālerdviśataṃ muneḥ | vālakhilyāśrame puṇye ṣaṭchatāni durātmabhiḥ

Translation

त्या दुरात्म्यांनी च्यवन ऋषींचे सात आणि जाबालि मुनींचे दोनशे शिष्य खाल्ले. पवित्र वालखिल्य आश्रमातही त्यांनी सहाशे जणांना भक्ष्य केले.

Word by Word

• च्यवनस्य: of Cyavana
• च्यवनस्य: Sambandha (Of Cyavana/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: च्यवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन — Genitive singular

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

• सप्त: seven
• सप्त: Visheshana (Numerical qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सप्त (अव्यय/संख्याशब्द)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-अव्यय (cardinal numeral)

• एव: only/indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• जाबालेः: of Jābāli
• जाबालेः: Sambandha (Of Jābāli/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाबालि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन — Genitive singular

• द्विशतम्: two hundred
• द्विशतम्: Karta (Count/subject-like numeral)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वि-शत (प्रातिपदिक; द्वि + शत)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Nominative/Accusative singular; द्विगु-समास

• मुनेः: of the sage
• मुनेः: Sambandha (Of the sage/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन — Genitive singular

• वालखिल्याश्रमे: in the Vālakhilya hermitage
• वालखिल्याश्रमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वालखिल्य-आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक; वालखिल्य + आश्रम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन — Locative singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वालखिल्यानाम् आश्रमः)

• पुण्ये: holy
• पुण्ये: Adhikarana (Qualifier in locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Locative singular; विशेषण (आश्रमे)

• षट्छतानि: six hundreds (i.e., six hundred units)
• षट्छतानि: Karta (Count/subject-like numeral)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षट्-शत (प्रातिपदिक; षट् + शत)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन — Nominative/Accusative plural; द्विगु-समास

• दुरात्मभिः: by evil-souled ones
• दुरात्मभिः: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुरात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/सह), बहुवचन — Instrumental plural

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (narrative frame) / Vālakhilyāśrama (episode locus)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A moonlit hermitage grove labeled Vālakhilya-āśrama; terrified ascetics, extinguished sacrificial fires, and shadowy daitya figures dragging away sages; the aftermath hinted by scattered bones and broken ladles.

Characters & Entities

• Cyavana
• Jābāli
• Vālakhilya-āśrama
• Kālakeyas (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy āśramas represent living dharma; their violation is portrayed as a grave cosmic offense demanding restoration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Vālakhilya āśrama (hermitage) within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra narrative landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse highlights the sanctity of āśramas by contrasting it with the demons’ wrongdoing.