Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 101

Devanagari script

सहस्रशिरसं क्रूरं सहस्राक्षं महाभुजम् । सहस्रपाणिं दुर्द्धर्षं युगांतानलसन्निभम्

Transliteration

sahasraśirasaṃ krūraṃ sahasrākṣaṃ mahābhujam | sahasrapāṇiṃ durddharṣaṃ yugāṃtānalasannibham

Translation

เขามีเศียรนับพัน ดุร้ายยิ่ง; มีเนตรนับพัน แขนใหญ่ทรงพลัง; มีหัตถ์นับพัน ยากผู้ใดต้านทาน—ดุจไฟกัลป์สิ้นยุคอันเผาผลาญจักรวาล

Word by Word

• सहस्रशिरसम्: having a thousand heads
• सहस्रशिरसम्: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहस्र-शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक; सहस्र + शिरस्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (accusative agreeing with रुद्रम्/वीरभद्रम्)

• क्रूरम्: fierce
• क्रूरम्: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• सहस्राक्षम्: having a thousand eyes
• सहस्राक्षम्: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहस्र-अक्ष (प्रातिपदिक; सहस्र + अक्ष)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• महाभुजम्: great-armed
• महाभुजम्: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा-भुज (प्रातिपदिक; महा + भुज)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• सहस्रपाणिम्: having a thousand hands
• सहस्रपाणिम्: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहस्र-पाणि (प्रातिपदिक; सहस्र + पाणि)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• दुर्द्धर्षम्: hard to overpower
• दुर्द्धर्षम्: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्-धर्ष (प्रातिपदिक; दुर् + धर्ष)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• युगान्तानलसन्निभम्: like the fire at the end of an age
• युगान्तानलसन्निभम्: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युग-अन्त-अनल-सन्निभ (प्रातिपदिक; युग + अन्त + अनल + सन्निभ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपमानवाचक-विशेषण

Speaker

Sārasvata (descriptive narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgādvāra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrim-audience / interlocutors of the māhātmya (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A colossal, cosmic warrior-form with innumerable heads, eyes, arms and hands, blazing like the fire of dissolution, filling the horizon with terrifying radiance.

Characters & Entities

• Rudra (emanated form)
• Vīrabhadra (context continues)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine wrath against adharma is portrayed as cosmic and irresistible, underscoring the supremacy of dharma over ritual pride.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra section; this verse itself is a theophanic description rather than a site praise.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a descriptive verse of the manifested power.