Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

नरकं कालनेमिं च कंसं चाणूरमुष्टिकौ । शिशुपालं जरासंधं जघ्नतुर्बलकेशवौ

Transliteration

narakaṃ kālanemiṃ ca kaṃsaṃ cāṇūramuṣṭikau | śiśupālaṃ jarāsaṃdhaṃ jaghnaturbalakeśavau

Translation

Bala und Keśava erschlugen Naraka und Kālanemi, Kaṃsa, ebenso Cāṇūra und Muṣṭika, sowie Śiśupāla und Jarāsandha.

Word by Word

• नरकम्: Naraka
• नरकम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• कालनेमिम्: Kālanemi
• कालनेमिम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कालनेमि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

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

• कंसम्: Kaṃsa
• कंसम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कंस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

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

• आणूरमुष्टिकौ: Āṇūra and Muṣṭika
• आणूरमुष्टिकौ: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आणूर + मुष्टिक (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: द्वन्द्वसमास, पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), द्विवचन

• शिशुपालम्: Śiśupāla
• शिशुपालम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिशुपाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• जरासंधम्: Jarāsandha
• जरासंधम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जरासंध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• जघ्नतुः: they slew
• जघ्नतुः: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद, परोक्षभूत/perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, द्विवचन

• बलकेशवौ: Bala and Keśava
• बलकेशवौ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल + केशव (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: द्वन्द्वसमास, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), द्विवचन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mathurā (implicit) / Dvārakā (implicit)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (Arjuna)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A montage of Bala–Keśava’s victories: wrestling arena of Mathurā (Cāṇūra/Muṣṭika), Kaṃsa’s fall, Naraka’s defeat, and royal adversaries subdued—presented as a dharma-triumph panorama.

Characters & Entities

• Balarāma
• Kṛṣṇa (Keśava)
• Naraka
• Kālanemi
• Kaṃsa
• Cāṇūra
• Muṣṭika
• Śiśupāla
• Jarāsandha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine power is depicted as removing oppressive forces, reaffirming that dharma ultimately prevails.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader passage continues to frame these deeds within the sanctity of the Yojaneśvara tīrtha narrative in Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual instruction appears in this verse; it is primarily an encomium of Bala-Keśava’s dharmic victories.