Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

करालो विकटो मुंडः पुरुषः कृष्णपिंगलः । सम्मार्जनी महाकेतुर्जपापुष्पावतंसकः

Transliteration

karālo vikaṭo muṃḍaḥ puruṣaḥ kṛṣṇapiṃgalaḥ | sammārjanī mahāketurjapāpuṣpāvataṃsakaḥ

Translation

May isang lalaki ang nagpakita—mabangis ang mukha, nakapanghihilakbot ang anyo, ahit ang ulo, at maitim na may kayumangging dilaw ang kulay—may hawak na walis, may dakilang watawat, at may palamuting kuwintas ng bulaklak na japā (hibiscus).

Word by Word

• karālaḥ: terrible, gaping-toothed
• karālaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: karāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• vikaṭaḥ: hideous, grotesque
• vikaṭaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vikaṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• muṇḍaḥ: shaven-headed, bald
• muṇḍaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: muṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• puruṣaḥ: a man/person
• puruṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• kṛṣṇa-piṃgalaḥ: black-and-tawny
• kṛṣṇa-piṃgalaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + piṃgala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (कृष्णश्च पिङ्गलश्च/कृष्णपिङ्गलः)

• sammārjanī: a broom
• sammārjanī: Karta (Appositional/नाम)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sammārjanī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• mahā-ketuḥ: a great banner/standard
• mahā-ketuḥ: Karta (Appositional/नाम)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + ketu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महान् केतुः)

• japā-puṣpa-avataṃsakaḥ: wearing hibiscus flowers as an ornament
• japā-puṣpa-avataṃsakaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: japā (प्रातिपदिक) + puṣpa (प्रातिपदिक) + avataṃsaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जपापुष्पस्य अवतंसकः = having hibiscus-flowers as an ornament)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator in Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya; traditionally Sūta)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grim, shaven-headed, dark-tawny figure manifests suddenly, holding a broom and a tall banner, hibiscus garland vivid against his austere form—an embodied omen of dissolution.

Characters & Entities

• Kāla (implied via description)
• japāpuṣpa (hibiscus)
• mahāketu (banner)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa externalizes destiny as a visible omen: Kāla’s terrifying form warns that decline begins subtly and then becomes unmistakable.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra; the māhātmya situates these omens within the sacred precincts associated with the Prabhāsa tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is descriptive of an ominous apparition.