Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

त्रेतायुगे चतुर्विंशे रावणस्तपसः क्षयात् । रामं दाशरथिं प्राप्य सगणः क्षयमेयिवान्

Transliteration

tretāyuge caturviṃśe rāvaṇastapasaḥ kṣayāt | rāmaṃ dāśarathiṃ prāpya sagaṇaḥ kṣayameyivān

Translation

چوبیسویں تریتا یُگ میں، جب اس کی تپسیا کا پھل ختم ہو گیا، راون نے داشرَتھی رام سے ملاقات کی اور اپنے لشکروں سمیت ہلاکت کو پہنچا۔

Word by Word

• त्रेतायुगे: in the Tretā age
• त्रेतायुगे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रेता-युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular) — कालाधिकरणम्; समासः: त्रेतायाः युगम्

• चतुर्विंशे: in the twenty-fourth (year/period)
• चतुर्विंशे: Adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्विंश (प्रातिपदिक; संख्या)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Locative, Singular) — (वर्षे/सम्वत्सरे) इति अध्याहारः; ‘in the twenty-fourth’

• रावणः: Rāvaṇa
• रावणः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रावण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• तपसः: of austerity
• तपसः: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Genitive, Singular)

• क्षयात्: from (its) exhaustion; due to decline
• क्षयात्: Apādāna/Hetu (Cause/Ablative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Ablative, Singular) — हेत्वर्थ (from/because of)

• रामम्: Rāma
• रामम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• दाशरथिम्: son of Daśaratha
• दाशरथिम्: Karma (Object apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दाशरथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular) — रामस्य विशेषण/अपपद (appositive)

• प्राप्य: having reached/met
• प्राप्य: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्राप्य (कृदन्त; √आप् (धातु) + प्र, ल्यप्/य)
• Form: ल्यपन्त अव्यय (Gerund) — पूर्वक्रिया (having reached/encountered)

• सगणः: with his retinue
• सगणः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स-गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular) — रावणस्य विशेषणम्; समासः: गणेन सह

• क्षयम्: destruction/end
• क्षयम्: Gati/Karma (Goal/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• एयिवान्: went/attained
• एयिवान्: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: एयिवस् (कृदन्त; √इ (धातु), लिट्-कृदन्त/परिप्रयोग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; परोक्षभूतार्थे (perfect/periphrastic perfect sense) — ‘(सः) एयिवान्’ = ‘went/attained’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsa Māhātmya discourse style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (as addressed: 'devi')

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A time-worn Rāvaṇa, his tapas-fruit depleted, confronts Rāma Dāśarathi on the battlefield; behind them, hosts of rākṣasas and vānaras surge like waves, while the unseen wheel of yuga-time turns above.

Characters & Entities

• Rāvaṇa
• Rāma Dāśarathi
• Daśaratha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity without dharma is finite; when merit is spent, adharma collapses and the divine upholds righteousness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage occurs within Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya, linking epic events to the sanctity of Prabhāsa’s sacred narrative space.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse teaches through historical-theological causality (tapas and karmic result).