Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 115

Devanagari script

विवृत्तनयनो ग्रस्तुमियेष सुरपुंगवान् । ततोऽस्य प्रविशद्वक्त्र समहारथकुंजरा

Transliteration

vivṛttanayano grastumiyeṣa surapuṃgavān | tato'sya praviśadvaktra samahārathakuṃjarā

Translation

وبعينين تدوران، همَّ أرفعُ الأَسُورَةِ أن يبتلع أبطالَ الآلهة؛ فاندفعت عندئذٍ في فمه فيلةُ الحربِ وعرباتُ القتالِ العظمى من ذلك الجيش.

Word by Word

• vivṛttanayanaḥ: with upturned/rolled eyes
• vivṛttanayanaḥ: Kartā (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vivṛtta + nayana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (विवृत्ते नयने यस्य)

• grastum: to swallow
• grastum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gras (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त infinitive, ‘to swallow’

• iyeṣa: desired, attempted
• iyeṣa: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: iṣ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘desired/attempted’

• surapuṃgavān: chief of the gods
• surapuṃgavān: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura + puṃgava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (सुराणां पुंगवः)

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal adjunct/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण)

• asya: of him, his
• asya: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• praviśat: entering
• praviśat: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Participial qualifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-viś (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present active participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘entering’ (here qualifying vaktra)

• vaktram: mouth
• vaktram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaktra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• samahārathakuṃjarāḥ: the massed chariot-elephants (war-elephants)
• samahārathakuṃjarāḥ: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samahāra + ratha + kuṃjara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (समाहारे रथाः कुंजराश्च इव/रथकुंजराः)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) narrating to the sages (contextual attribution within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The gigantic Jambha, eyes rolling, opens a cavernous mouth to swallow the deva champions; elephants and great chariots surge forward and are drawn into the gaping maw.

Characters & Entities

• Jambha
• Deva champions
• Elephants (kuñjara)
• Chariots (ratha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Evil seeks to ‘consume’ the righteous entirely; the Purāṇas portray such crises to highlight the necessity of steadfast courage and divine counsel.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.