Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

संध्याकाले च मंदेहाः सूर्यमिच्छंति खादितुम् । प्रजापतिकृतः शापस्तेषां फाल्गुन रक्षसाम्

Transliteration

saṃdhyākāle ca maṃdehāḥ sūryamicchaṃti khāditum | prajāpatikṛtaḥ śāpasteṣāṃ phālguna rakṣasām

Translation

ସନ୍ଧ୍ୟାକାଳରେ ମାନ୍ଦେହା ରାକ୍ଷସମାନେ ସୂର୍ଯ୍ୟଙ୍କୁ ଭକ୍ଷଣ କରିବାକୁ ଇଚ୍ଛା କରନ୍ତି। ହେ ଫାଲ୍ଗୁନ! ସେହି ରାକ୍ଷସମାନଙ୍କ ଉପରେ ପ୍ରଜାପତିଙ୍କ କୃତ ଶାପ ଏହି।

Word by Word

• संध्याकाले: at twilight time
• संध्याकाले: Adhikarana (Time-locative/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संध्या-काल (प्रातिपदिक; संध्या + काल)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (संध्यायाः कालः)

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

• मन्देहाः: the Mandehas (demons)
• मन्देहाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• सूर्यम्: the Sun
• सूर्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• इच्छन्ति: desire/wish
• इच्छन्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: इष् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• खादितुम्: to devour
• खादितुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: खाद् (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (infinitive), कर्मार्थे (to eat/devour)

• प्रजापति-कृतः: made by Prajāpati
• प्रजापति-कृतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रजापति-कृत (प्रातिपदिक; प्रजापति + कृत)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (प्रजापतेः कृतः); विशेषणम् (शापः)

• शापः: curse
• शापः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• फाल्गुन: O Phālguna (Arjuna)
• फाल्गुन: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फाल्गुन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; संबोधनपदम्

• रक्षसाम्: of the demons
• रक्षसाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्षस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; तेषाम् इत्यस्य विशेष्य (genitive apposition)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Saṅdhyā-tīrtha (liminal time-junction)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Phālguna (Arjuna)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At dusk, the Sun low on the horizon; shadowy Māndehā rākṣasas surge upward to swallow the solar disc; a sage/householder offers arghya, forming a luminous shield; Prajāpati in the background as the source of the curse.

Characters & Entities

• Māndehā (demons)
• Sūrya
• Prajāpati
• Phālguna (Arjuna)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Twilight is a liminal, spiritually charged time; neglect of dharmic discipline is portrayed as enabling darkness, while right practice supports cosmic order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; the focus is on the universal sandhyā-time and the Sun’s cosmic station.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Not yet explicitly in this verse; subsequent verses connect sandhyā worship and Gāyatrī-purified water to the defeat of these beings.