Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 89

Devanagari script

शंबरास्त्रं क्षणाच्चक्रे तेषांरूपविपर्ययम् । देवानां दानवं रूपं दानवानां च दैविकम्

Transliteration

śaṃbarāstraṃ kṣaṇāccakre teṣāṃrūpaviparyayam | devānāṃ dānavaṃ rūpaṃ dānavānāṃ ca daivikam

Translation

وفي لحظةٍ واحدة أحدث سلاح شَمبَرا انقلابًا في صورهم: فبدت الآلهة في هيئةٍ شيطانية، وظهر الشياطين في صورةٍ إلهية.

Word by Word

• śaṃbarāstram: the Śambara-weapon
• śaṃbarāstram: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃbara (प्रातिपदिक) + astra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• kṣaṇāt: in a moment
• kṣaṇāt: Apadana (Ablative/source; temporal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन

• cakre: made / caused
• cakre: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• rūpaviparyayam: a reversal of forms
• rūpaviparyayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक) + viparyaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (रूपस्य विपर्ययः)

• devānām: of the gods
• devānām: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• dānavam: demonic / of the Dānavas
• dānavam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with rūpam)

• rūpam: form
• rūpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• dānavānām: of the Dānavas
• dānavānām: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (conjunctive/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• daivikam: divine
• daivikam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daivika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with rūpam, understood)

Speaker

Narrator (Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍuputra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sudden magical inversion: devas take on asuric features (dark, fierce), while asuras appear radiant and divine; confusion spreads across the battlefield.

Characters & Entities

• Śambara-astra
• Devas
• Dānavas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Māyā can invert appearances; dharma depends on inner discernment rather than outward form.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is described; the verse teaches discernment through a battle-illusion episode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.