Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

महानाभश्च विक्रांतो भूतसंतापनस्तथा । शतं शतसहस्राणि निहतास्तारकामये

Transliteration

mahānābhaśca vikrāṃto bhūtasaṃtāpanastathā | śataṃ śatasahasrāṇi nihatāstārakāmaye

Translation

勇猛的摩诃那婆（Mahānābha）以及怖多三多波那（Bhūtasaṃtāpana）也在其中。在为达罗迦（Tārakā）而起的战争中，数十万众被诛灭。

Word by Word

• महानाभः: Mahānābha (name)
• महानाभः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-nābha (प्रातिपदिक; महा + नाभ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (determinative; name)

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

• विक्रान्तः: valiant
• विक्रान्तः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-kram (धातु) + ta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भूतसंतापनः: Bhūtasaṃtāpana (name)
• भूतसंतापनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta-saṃtāpana (प्रातिपदिक; भूत + संतापन)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (determinative; name)

• तथा: also
• तथा: Samuccaya/Anvaya (Also/अन्वय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• शतम्: a hundred
• शतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; संख्यावाचक-नाम (cardinal used substantively)

• शतसहस्राणि: hundreds of thousands
• शतसहस्राणि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata-sahasra (प्रातिपदिक; शत + सहस्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; द्विगु-समास (numerical compound)

• निहताः: were slain
• निहताः: Kriyā (Predicative verbal notion/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-han (धातु) + ta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगे विधेय

• तारकामये: in the Tārakāmaya (war/battle)
• तारकामये: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tārakā-maya (प्रातिपदिक; तारका + मय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (determinative; 'in/at Tārakāmaya')

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (continuing address)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A battlefield panorama labeled 'Tārakāmaya': celestial and asuric armies clash; Mahānābha and Bhūtasaṃtāpana appear as towering daitya generals; the ground is strewn with fallen warriors, conveying the scale—hundreds of thousands slain.

Characters & Entities

• Mahānābha
• Bhūtasaṃtāpana
• Tārakā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It highlights the vast scale of cosmic conflict and the inevitable fall of destructive powers, reinforcing the Purāṇic assurance that dharma ultimately prevails.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The surrounding discourse belongs to Prabhāsa-kṣetra’s māhātmya, though this verse focuses on mythic battle history rather than a local tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is historical-mythic narration.