Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 62

Devanagari script

शुम्भो डिम्भश्च रौद्रश्च प्रह्लादश्चासुरोत्तमः । दण्डपाणिर्विपाणिश्च सिंहवक्त्रस्तथानघ

Transliteration

śumbho ḍimbhaśca raudraśca prahlādaścāsurottamaḥ | daṇḍapāṇirvipāṇiśca siṃhavaktrastathānagha

Translation

शुम्भो डिम्भश्च रौद्रश्च प्रह्लादश्चासुरोत्तमः। दण्डपाणिर्विपाणिश्च सिंहवक्त्रस्तथानघ (गृहेष्वपि दहनो जज्वाल)।

Word by Word

• śumbhaḥ: Śumbha
• śumbhaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śumbha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ḍimbhaḥ: Ḍimbha
• ḍimbhaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ḍimbha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• raudraḥ: Raudra
• raudraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: raudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• prahlādaḥ: Prahlāda
• prahlādaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prahlāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• asura-uttamaḥ: the best of the Asuras
• asura-uttamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asura + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (असुराणाम् उत्तमः)

• daṇḍa-pāṇiḥ: Daṇḍapāṇi (one who has a staff in hand)
• daṇḍa-pāṇiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daṇḍa + pāṇi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि-समास (दण्डः पाणौ यस्य)

• vipāṇiḥ: Vipāṇi
• vipāṇiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipāṇi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• siṃha-vaktraḥ: Siṃhavaktra (lion-faced one)
• siṃha-vaktraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: siṃha + vaktra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि-समास (सिंहवत् वक्त्रं यस्य)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Samuccaya (Addition/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb: likewise)

• anagha: O sinless one
• anagha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anagha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A narrator’s voice overlays a burning town; in the foreground, a sage-like figure gestures while the listener is addressed as ‘anagha’; behind them, labeled houses of Śumbha, Ḍimbha, Raudra, Prahlāda, Daṇḍapāṇi, Vipāṇi, Siṃhavaktra burn in sequence.

Characters & Entities

• Śumbha
• Ḍimbha
• Raudra
• Prahlāda
• Daṇḍapāṇi
• Vipāṇi
• Siṃhavaktra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even celebrated or powerful figures (named as ‘foremost’) are not beyond the consequences of adharma and violence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā Khaṇḍa’s sacred landscape (Revā/Narmadā) forms the setting, but the verse itself is a narrative enumeration.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse continues the listing within the episode.