Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

अक्रूरवचनाद्देवे मथुरायां गते हरौ । हते कुवलयापीडे मल्लराजे च घातिते

Transliteration

akrūravacanāddeve mathurāyāṃ gate harau | hate kuvalayāpīḍe mallarāje ca ghātite

Translation

ตามถ้อยคำของอครูระ เมื่อพระหริเสด็จไปยังมถุรา—เมื่อกุวลยาปีฑะถูกสังหาร และราชาแห่งนักมวยปล้ำก็ถูกปราบลง—

Word by Word

• अक्रूर-वचनात्: because of Akrūra's words
• अक्रूर-वचनात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्रूर (प्रातिपदिक) + वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; समासः—अक्रूरस्य वचनम् इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; हेतौ पञ्चमी

• देवे: when the Lord (was)
• देवे: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘गते’ इत्यस्य विशेषण-सम्बन्धः

• मथुरायाम्: in Mathurā
• मथुरायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मथुरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• गते: when (he) had gone
• गते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘हरौ’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्; सप्तमी-सम्बन्धः

• हरौ: (in the case of) Hari
• हरौ: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• हते: when (he) was killed
• हते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘कुवलयापीडे’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• कुवलयापीडे: (in the case of) Kuvalayāpīḍa (the elephant)
• कुवलयापीडे: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुवलयापीड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• मल्लराजे: (in the case of) the king of wrestlers
• मल्लराजे: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मल्लराज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

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

• घातिते: when (he) was slain
• घातिते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘मल्लराजे’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced; not explicit in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mathurā-kṣetra (contextual within Dvārakā-māhātmya)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Akrūra, reverent and tearful, leads Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma toward Mathurā; at the city gate the elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa charges and is slain; the arena scene shows the fall of the champion wrestlers.

Characters & Entities

• Akrūra
• Hari (Kṛṣṇa)
• Mathurā
• Kuvalayāpīḍa
• Malla (wrestler-king)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Lord responds to devotees’ counsel and establishes righteousness by overpowering forces of tyranny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mathurā is referenced as a sacred setting in Kṛṣṇa’s līlā, as part of the broader Dvārakā Māhātmya narrative arc.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is historical/theological narration.