Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

आक्रम्यात्र महामायो दुराधर्षो दुरत्ययः । न ते जनाः समायांति तद्भयादति शंकिताः

Transliteration

ākramyātra mahāmāyo durādharṣo duratyayaḥ | na te janāḥ samāyāṃti tadbhayādati śaṃkitāḥ

Translation

Nilusob niya ang pook na ito—yaong dakilang salamangkero, mahirap salakayin at mahirap daigin. Dahil sa takot sa kanya, ang iyong mga tao’y hindi na pumaparito, labis na nangangamba.

Word by Word

• ākramya: having attacked
• ākramya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial to main verb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā-√kram (धातु) → ākramya (क्त्वान्त/अव्ययभाव)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having attacked)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• mahāmāyaḥ: the great illusionist (one of great māyā)
• mahāmāyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + māyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास (महती माया यस्य/महामाया); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• durādharṣaḥ: hard to assail
• durādharṣaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur + ādharṣa (प्रातिपदिक; ā-√dhṛṣ (धातु) → dharṣa)
• Form: उपपद-तत्पुरुष/नञ्-समकक्ष (dur-); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

• duratyayaḥ: hard to overcome
• duratyayaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur + atyaya (प्रातिपदिक; ati-√i (धातु) → atyaya)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (dur-); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation particle)

• te: they, those
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम (context: those people)

• janāḥ: people
• janāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• samāyānti: come together, arrive
• samāyānti: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√yā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• tadbhayāt: from fear of that (him)
• tadbhayāt: Apādāna (Source/Cause/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad + bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी: tasya bhayāt); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; अपादानार्थ (cause/source)

• ati: very, exceedingly
• ati: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ati (अव्यय)
• Form: अत्यर्थक अव्यय (intensifier)

• śaṃkitāḥ: frightened, apprehensive
• śaṃkitāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √śaṅk (धातु) → śaṃkita (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (of janāḥ)

Speaker

Dharmāraṇya-kṣetra Adhidevatā (the presiding deity of Dharmāraṇya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Local kṣetra with Dīrghikā (name not specified)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rāma

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A shadowy, oppressive presence over a sacred precinct; empty pathways and closed gates; villagers peering from afar, hesitant to approach; the ‘mahāmāyā’ suggested through swirling dark aura rather than explicit form.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Mahāmāya (asura/daitya figure)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When fear and delusion dominate, people abandon sacred duty; removing such oppression restores dharma and pilgrimage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya-kṣetra, described as being overrun and therefore avoided.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse motivates protective intervention so rites and visits can resume.