Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 71

Devanagari script

पंचास्यस्त्वथ पंचास्यं मुष्ट्या मूर्धन्यताडयत् । स च तेनैव रूपेण कक्षानिष्पेषणेन च

Transliteration

paṃcāsyastvatha paṃcāsyaṃ muṣṭyā mūrdhanyatāḍayat | sa ca tenaiva rūpeṇa kakṣāniṣpeṣaṇena ca

Translation

حينئذٍ ضرب ذو الوجوه الخمسة خصمَه ذا الوجوه الخمسة بقبضته على هامته؛ وبهذه الهيئة نفسها—وبالضغط الساحق عند الجنب أيضًا—صدَّ هجومَ الشيطان.

Word by Word

• पञ्चास्यः: the five-faced one
• पञ्चास्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च-अस्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; द्विगु (five-faced)

• तु: but, indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेष (but/indeed)

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रमसूचक (then)

• पञ्चास्यम्: the five-faced one (as object)
• पञ्चास्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च-अस्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; द्विगु

• मुष्ट्या: with a fist
• मुष्ट्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• मूर्धनि: on the head
• मूर्धनि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूर्धन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• अताडयत्: struck, beat
• अताडयत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-√तड् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (and)

• तेन: by that
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (indeed)

• रूपेण: with that form
• रूपेण: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• कक्षानिष्पेषणेन: by the armpit-crushing
• कक्षानिष्पेषणेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कक्षा-निष्पेषण (प्रातिपदिक; √पिष्/√पेष् ‘to crush’ भाव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (कक्षायाः निष्पेषणेन)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (and)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa discourse commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Kāśī-māhātmya audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva as the five-faced Pañcāsya delivers a decisive fist-strike to the demon’s head, countering the crushing waist-hold; the same manifested form becomes the instrument of reversal and restoration.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Paṃcāsya)
• Daitya/Dānava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Lord meets adharma on its own ground and overcomes it; divine power is not limited by the opponent’s disguises.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, through a local mythic confrontation that establishes Śiva’s guardianship over the sacred area.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this is a narrative verse within the sthala-mahātmya episode.