Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

हिरण्यकशिपुस्त्वासीत्स राजा पूर्वजन्मनि । चतुर्युगानि राजा तु तथा दश स राक्षसः

Transliteration

hiraṇyakaśipustvāsītsa rājā pūrvajanmani | caturyugāni rājā tu tathā daśa sa rākṣasaḥ

Translation

پچھلے جنم میں وہ بادشاہ ہِرنیکشیپو تھا۔ اس نے چار یگوں تک راج کیا؛ اور دس (مزید) یگوں تک وہ راکشس کی صورت میں رہا۔

Word by Word

• हिरण्यकशिपुः: Hiraṇyakaśipu
• हिरण्यकशिपुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिरण्य + कशिपु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नाम (proper name)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषण-अव्यय (particle)

• आसीत्: was
• आसीत्: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/past), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• राजा: king
• राजा: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पूर्वजन्मनि: in a former birth
• पूर्वजन्मनि: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व + जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण (in/at)

• चतुर्युगानि: four yugas (as a time-span)
• चतुर्युगानि: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Extent of time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर् + युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन; द्विगु-समास (four yugas)

• राजा: king
• राजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विशेषण-अव्यय (particle)

• तथा: likewise/so
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: रीति/प्रकार-अव्यय (adverb: 'thus/likewise')

• दश: ten
• दश: Saṅkhyā (Numeral qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्या; अत्र द्वितीया-बहुवचनार्थे (numeral used for count)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• राक्षसः: a rākṣasa
• राक्षसः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsa Māhātmya discourse style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A revelation of prior identity: the figure later known as Rāvaṇa is said to have been Hiraṇyakaśipu in a former birth, ruling across vast yuga spans, then existing as a rākṣasa for further ages—mythic time layered over personal continuity.

Characters & Entities

• Hiraṇyakaśipu
• Rāvaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic history portrays continuity of tendencies across births; long reigns and longevity do not negate karmic consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narration belongs to Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya, situating cosmic history within the sacred landscape of Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is a genealogical and temporal statement.