Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 108

Devanagari script

आकर्णदारितास्याश्च लंबभ्रूस्थूलनासिकाः । बलाढ्यास्ते पिशाचा वै सूतिकागृहवासिनः

Transliteration

ākarṇadāritāsyāśca laṃbabhrūsthūlanāsikāḥ | balāḍhyāste piśācā vai sūtikāgṛhavāsinaḥ

Translation

Suas bocas estavam rasgadas, abertas até as orelhas; tinham sobrancelhas caídas e narizes grossos. Esses piśācas eram de grande vigor e habitavam as câmaras de parto (casas de resguardo)—

Word by Word

• आकर्णदारितास्याः: whose mouths are torn up to the ears
• आकर्णदारितास्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आकर्ण + दारित + आस्य (प्रातिपदिक; दारित = कृदन्त, √दॄ (धातु) क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; आकर्णं दारितम् आस्यं येषां ते, विशेषण

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

• लंबभ्रूस्थूलनासिकाः: with drooping brows and large noses
• लंबभ्रूस्थूलनासिकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लम्ब + भ्रू + स्थूल + नासिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; लम्ब-भ्रूः, स्थूल-नासिका इति विशेषण-समाहारः

• बलाढ्याः: strong
• बलाढ्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बल + आढ्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; बलैः आढ्याः = strong, विशेषण

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

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

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

• सූतिकागृहवासिनः: dwelling in the lying-in chamber
• सූतिकागृहवासिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सूतिका + गृह + वासिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सूतिकायाः गृहं तत्र वसन्ति इति, विशेषण

Speaker

Unspecified narrator within Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya (contextual narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Purāṇic audience/interlocutor (unspecified in excerpt)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Inside a dim lying-in chamber: shadowy, powerfully built piśācas with ear-split mouths, drooping brows, thick noses; a single oil lamp flickers; protective threshold marks (turmeric/ash lines) contrast with the intruding figures.

Characters & Entities

• Piśāca

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It highlights how impure or vulnerable spaces can attract disruptive forces, urging protective dharmic vigilance and purity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra (Prabhāsa), presented in the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa’s sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is prescribed in this verse; it sets narrative context for later guidance about their abodes and propitiations.