Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 107

Devanagari script

नक्तं ज्वलितकेशाढ्या अंगारानुद्गिरंति वै । अंगारकाः पिशाचास्ते मातृमार्गानुसारिणः

Transliteration

naktaṃ jvalitakeśāḍhyā aṃgārānudgiraṃti vai | aṃgārakāḥ piśācāste mātṛmārgānusāriṇaḥ

Translation

Pada waktu malam, rambut mereka menyala-nyala, dan benar-benar memuntahkan bara api. Piśāca itu disebut “Aṅgāraka”, dan mereka menuruti jalan Sang Ibu (Bhūtamātṛ)—

Word by Word

• नक्तम्: at night
• नक्तम्: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नक्तम् (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• ज्वलितकेशाढ्याः: rich in blazing hair
• ज्वलितकेशाढ्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्वलित (कृदन्त; √ज्वल् (धातु)) + केश + आढ्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ज्वलित-केशैः आढ्याः = blazing-haired/abounding in flaming hair, विशेषण

• अंगारान्: embers
• अंगारान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्गार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन

• उद्गिरन्ति: they spew forth
• उद्गिरन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद् + √गॄ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha/Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• अंगारकाः: ember-like ones / 'Aṅgārakas'
• अंगारकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्गारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• पिशाचाः: piśācas
• पिशाचाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिशाच (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

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

• मातृमार्गानुसारिणः: followers of the mothers' path
• मातृमार्गानुसारिणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मातृ + मार्ग + अनुसारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; मातॄणां मार्गम् अनुसरन्ति इति, विशेषण

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A Purāṇic interlocutor (typically a sage/assembly; exact speaker-listener not explicit in the given excerpt)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A nocturnal shoreline/cremation-ground edge of Prabhāsa: ember-spewing piśācas with flaming hair, moving in a loose pack, their gaze fixed on a distant maternal/Devī path-marker; sparks drift in the wind under a dark sky.

Characters & Entities

• Aṅgārakāḥ (Piśācas)
• Bhūtamātṛ (implied by mātṛ-mārga)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even terrifying manifestations are portrayed as operating under a higher ‘mātṛ-mārga’—a reminder that cosmic powers have ordered allegiances.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, within whose māhātmya these spirit-hosts and their significance are narrated.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it identifies a class of piśācas (Aṅgārakas) and their nocturnal characteristics, supporting the surrounding ritual context.