Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

रुरुदुः शोकसंविग्ना दुःखसागरमध्यगाः प्र । पश्यंतीषु तास्वेव दुर्दमो राक्षसोऽभवत्

Transliteration

ruruduḥ śokasaṃvignā duḥkhasāgaramadhyagāḥ pra | paśyaṃtīṣu tāsveva durdamo rākṣaso'bhavat

Translation

นางทั้งหลายร่ำไห้ด้วยความโศกสะท้าน ราวกับจมอยู่กลางมหาสมุทรแห่งทุกข์ และในขณะที่นางมองอยู่นั้นเอง ทุรทมะก็กลับกลายเป็นรากษส

Word by Word

• रुरुदुः: they wept
• रुरुदुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रुद् (धातु)
• Form: लकारः—लिट् (Perfect); पुरुषः—प्रथम (3rd); वचनम्—बहुवचन (Plural); धातुः—रुद्; प्रयोगः—कर्तरि

• शोक-संविग्नाः: distressed with grief
• शोक-संविग्नाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शोक (प्रातिपदिक) + संविग्न (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √विज्/विग् with सम्)
• Form: समासः—तत्पुरुष (‘agitated by grief’); स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine); प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st); बहुवचन (Plural)

• दुःख-सागर-मध्य-गाः: as if in the midst of an ocean of sorrow
• दुःख-सागर-मध्य-गाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक) + सागर (प्रातिपदिक) + मध्य (प्रातिपदिक) + ग (धातु) → ग (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक ‘gone/being in’)
• Form: समासः—तत्पुरुष (locative-determinative sense: ‘gone into the middle of the ocean of sorrow’); स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine); प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st); बहुवचन (Plural)

• प्र: forth / intensely
• प्र: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र (अव्यय/उपसर्गवत्)
• Form: अव्यय—निपात (particle; intensifier/forward)

• पश्यन्तीषु: while (they) were seeing
• पश्यन्तीषु: Adhikarana (Locative circumstance/अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → पश्यत् (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Present active participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine); सप्तमी (Locative, 7th); बहुवचन (Plural)

• तासु: among them / in them
• तासु: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine); सप्तमी (Locative, 7th); बहुवचन (Plural)

• एव: indeed / just
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—निपात (emphasis/restriction)

• दुर्दमः: Durdama
• दुर्दमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्दम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st); एकवचन (Singular)

• राक्षसः: a demon (rākṣasa)
• राक्षसः: Karta (Predicate/प्रत्ययार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); प्रथमा (Nominative, 1st); एकवचन (Singular) (predicate nominative)

• अभवत्: became
• अभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लकारः—लङ् (Imperfect/Past); पुरुषः—प्रथम (3rd); वचनम्—एकवचन (Singular); धातुः—भू; प्रयोगः—कर्तरि

Speaker

Śrī Sūta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The women cry in despair, their bodies bent and hands raised in lament; before their eyes Durdama’s form distorts—limbs enlarge, features harden—crossing into rākṣasa nature in a single dreadful instant.

Characters & Entities

• Durdama
• Rāmāḥ
• Rākṣasa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Curses and karmic forces can manifest suddenly and painfully; the verse underscores impermanence and the need for spiritual steadiness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not directly; it is a dramatic moment within the Setukhaṇḍa storyline.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.