Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

विद्युत्कैशस्तडिज्जिह्वो रावणश्च महाबलः । कुंभकर्णो दुराधर्षो वेगदर्शी प्रतापवान्

Transliteration

vidyutkaiśastaḍijjihvo rāvaṇaśca mahābalaḥ | kuṃbhakarṇo durādharṣo vegadarśī pratāpavān

Translation

বিদ্যুৎকৈশ, তডিজ্জিহ্ব এবং মহাবলী রাবণ; আর দুরাধর্ষ কুম্ভকর্ণ ও প্রতাপবান বেগদর্শী।

Word by Word

• विद्युत्कैशः: Vidyutkeśa (name; ‘lightning-haired’)
• विद्युत्कैशः: Apposition/Name (संज्ञा)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्युत् + केश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (विद्युत्-सदृशाः केशाः यस्य)

• तडिज्जिह्वः: Taḍijjihva (name)
• तडिज्जिह्वः: Apposition/Name (संज्ञा)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तडित् + जिह्वा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः (तडित्-जिह्व) ‘lightning-tongued’

• रावणः: Rāvaṇa
• रावणः: Apposition/Name (संज्ञा)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रावण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• महाबलः: mighty/very strong
• महाबलः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (रावणः इति); कर्मधारयः (महान् बलः यस्य/महाबलः)

• कुंभकर्णः: Kumbhakarṇa
• कुंभकर्णः: Apposition/Name (संज्ञा)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुंभ + कर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (कुंभ-सदृशौ कर्णौ यस्य)

• दुराधर्षः: hard to overpower
• दुराधर्षः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर् + आ + धृष् (धातु) → अधर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कुंभकर्णः इति); ‘दुर्’ उपसर्गेण ‘hard to overpower’

• वेगदर्शी: swift/one who shows speed
• वेगदर्शी: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेग + दर्शिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्; तत्पुरुषः (वेगं दर्शयति/वेगं पश्यति इति)

• प्रतापवान्: powerful, valorous
• प्रतापवान्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रतापवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; वत्-प्रत्ययान्त; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), by section-context deduction

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Iconic figures—Rāvaṇa with ten heads suggested, Kumbhakarṇa massive—stand among other rākṣasas, all oriented toward a liṅga, hinting at impending tapas narrative.

Characters & Entities

• Vidyutkaiśa
• Taḍijjihva
• Rāvaṇa
• Kumbhakarṇa
• Vegadarśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Power and fame are presented as secondary to the devotional frame in which these figures are remembered—especially in connection with Śiva.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra (Kedāra Khaṇḍa), a key Śaiva pilgrimage landscape in the Skanda Purāṇa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Not explicitly in this verse; it supports the broader narrative leading into liṅga-worship and tapas.