Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

पुरा देवयुगे राजा कलिंगोनाम दानवः । जरामरणहीनोसौ देवानां च भयंकरः

Transliteration

purā devayuge rājā kaliṃgonāma dānavaḥ | jarāmaraṇahīnosau devānāṃ ca bhayaṃkaraḥ

Translation

Thuở xưa trong thời đại của chư thiên, có một vua dānava tên là Kaliṅga. Không bị già và chết chi phối, hắn trở thành nỗi kinh hãi ngay cả đối với chư thiên.

Word by Word

• पुरा: formerly; once
• पुरा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• देवयुगे: in the age of the gods
• देवयुगे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• राजा: a king
• राजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• कलिङ्गः: Kaliṅga
• कलिङ्गः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• नाम: by name
• नाम: Sambandha (Naming/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, नामनिर्देशक (indeclinable meaning ‘by name’)

• दानवः: a demon (Dānava)
• दानवः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• जरा: old age
• जरा: Samasa-purvapada (Compound member/समास)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (as compound member; undeclined in samāsa)

• मरण: death
• मरण: Samasa-purvapada (Compound member/समास)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (as compound member; undeclined in samāsa)

• हीनः: devoid (of)
• हीनः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• असौ: that one; he
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/असौ (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• देवानाम्: of the gods
• देवानाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय-बोधक (conjunction)

• भयङ्करः: terrifying
• भयङ्करः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भय + कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Pulastya

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: assembly/king addressed as 'narādhipa' within the episode

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A towering daitya-king Kaliṅga, radiant with unnatural vitality, stands in a darkened cosmic court as devas recoil; the atmosphere is heavy with dread and astonishment.

Characters & Entities

• Kaliṅga (Dānava king)
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Power without dharma becomes भयङ्कर (terror); Purāṇas frame such imbalance as the trigger for divine restoration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative belongs to the Arbuda sacred landscape where Devī’s presence becomes the remedy for cosmic distress.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this verse sets the historical-mythic context for the māhātmya.