Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 65

Devanagari script

ततो देवी गणान्स्वस्य भूतवेतालकादिकान् । यूयं नाशयत क्षिप्रमासुरं बलमित्यशात्

Transliteration

tato devī gaṇānsvasya bhūtavetālakādikān | yūyaṃ nāśayata kṣipramāsuraṃ balamityaśāt

Translation

ثم أمرت الدِّيفي جموعَها—من البهوتات والڤيتالات وسواهم—قائلةً: «أنتم جميعًا، أهلكوا سريعًا جيشَ الأسورات!»

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-viseshana (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) ‘then’

• देवी: the Goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• गणान्: troops/attendants
• गणान्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• स्वस्य: of her own
• स्वस्य: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक/स्त्री, षष्ठी, एकवचन; आत्मीयार्थे ‘her own’

• भूतवेतालकादिकान्: (those) beginning with bhūtas and vetālas
• भूतवेतालकादिकान्: Karma (Object—apposition to gaṇān)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत-वेतालक-आदिक (प्रातिपदिक; भूत + वेतालक + आदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘भूताः वेतालकाः आदयः येषां ते’ (समूहवाचक)

• यूयम्: you (all)
• यूयम्: Karta (Addressed subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुषार्थे? (2nd person pronoun), प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• नाशयत: destroy
• नाशयत: Kriya (Command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद; causative (णिच्) from √नश्/नश् ‘to perish’ → ‘cause to perish/destroy’

• क्षिप्रम्: quickly
• क्षिप्रम्: Kriya-viseshana (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्षिप्रम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) ‘quickly’

• आसुरम्: demonic
• आसुरम्: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आसुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘आसुरं (बलम्)’

• बलम्: force/army
• बलम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Quotation marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्तिसूचक-अव्यय

• अशात्: commanded/ordered
• अशात्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शास् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; धातुः √शास् ‘आज्ञायाम्/शासने’

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in third-person narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu (Setubandha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī, poised and authoritative, gestures commandingly; around her surge bhūtas and vetālas—wild-haired, weapon-bearing, some skeletal, some animal-faced—rushing toward the asura army; the scene balances terror and divine justice.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Gaṇas
• Bhūtas
• Vetālas
• Asuras

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Devī is depicted as sovereign commander of cosmic forces, mobilizing her attendants to protect dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it is narrative action within Setu-khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.