Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 80

Devanagari script

क्षयापस्मारकुष्ठा दीन्क्षुद्रप्रेतपिशाचकान् । नाशयेत्तस्य सन्तुष्टा दुर्गा महिषमर्दिनी

Transliteration

kṣayāpasmārakuṣṭhā dīnkṣudrapretapiśācakān | nāśayettasya santuṣṭā durgā mahiṣamardinī

Translation

เมื่อทรงพอพระทัยในพิธีบูชาของเขา พระทุรคา มหิษมรรทินี ผู้ปราบมหิษะ ย่อมทำลายโรควัณโรค ลมชัก เรื้อน ความทุกข์ยาก และเคราะห์จากภูตผี เปรต และปิศาจทั้งปวงให้สิ้นไป

Word by Word

• क्षय: consumption (disease)
• क्षय: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• अपस्मार: epilepsy
• अपस्मार: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपस्मार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कुष्ठान्: leprosy (diseases)
• कुष्ठान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• दीन: wretched, miserable
• दीन: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (क्षुद्रप्रेतपिशाचकान् इति विशेष्यस्य)

• क्षुद्र: petty, lowly
• क्षुद्र: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• प्रेत: ghosts
• प्रेत: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समाहार-उल्लेख (पिशाचकान् सह)

• पिशाचकान्: piśācas (goblins)
• पिशाचकान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिशाचक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• नाशयेत्: may destroy, would ward off
• नाशयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नाशय् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; सकर्मक

• तस्य: of him/for him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन, पुं/नपुंसक-प्रयोग

• सन्तुष्टा: being pleased
• सन्तुष्टा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सन्तुष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √तुष्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त), कर्तृविशेषण (दुर्गायाः)

• दुर्गा: Goddess Durgā
• दुर्गा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महिषमर्दिनी: slayer of the buffalo(-demon)
• महिषमर्दिनी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महिष + मर्दिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (महिषस्य मर्दिनी)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Purāṇic narration style within Brāhma Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setukṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Durgā Mahīṣamardinī stands radiant, trident raised, subduing the buffalo-demon while a devotee performs rite with lamp and flowers; shadowy pretas/piśācas dissolve; symbols of disease (wasting, seizures, skin lesions) fade into light.

Characters & Entities

• Durgā
• Mahiṣamardinī
• Preta
• Piśāca

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere ritual devotion invokes the Goddess’s protective grace, removing both physical illness and subtle spirit-afflictions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu/Setukṣetra (traditionally identified with the Setu region connected with Rāmeśvaram) within the Setukhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse implies the fruits of properly performed Mahālaya-related rites (contextually Mahālaya-śrāddha), which please the Goddess.