Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

हत्वा लाङ्गूलपातेन आगतो वृषभस्तदा । उत्थितश्चाप्यसौ दैत्यो व्रजते वृषपृष्ठतः

Transliteration

hatvā lāṅgūlapātena āgato vṛṣabhastadā | utthitaścāpyasau daityo vrajate vṛṣapṛṣṭhataḥ

Translation

Da streckte Vṛṣabha ihn mit einem Schwanzhieb nieder und trat vor. Doch jener Daitya erhob sich wieder und setzte nach, dicht hinter dem Rücken des Stieres.

Word by Word

• हत्वा: having struck/killed
• हत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √हन् (धातु) + क्त्वा (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), ‘having struck/killed’

• लाङ्गूलपातेन: by the fall/sweep of the tail
• लाङ्गूलपातेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लाङ्गूल + पात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (लाङ्गूलस्य पातः)

• आगतः: came/returned
• आगतः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-√गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तृविशेषण (वृषभः)

• वृषभः: Vṛṣabha
• वृषभः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृषभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriya-visheshana (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• उत्थितः: risen/stood up
• उत्थितः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्-√स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तृविशेषण (दैत्यः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक निपात (conjunction)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (also/even)

• असौ: that (one)
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• दैत्यः: the demon
• दैत्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• व्रजते: goes/proceeds
• व्रजते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान/Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• वृषपृष्ठतः: from behind the bull/back of Vṛṣa
• वृषपृष्ठतः: Apadana (Source/Direction/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वृष + पृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + तः (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb: ‘from/behind’); समासः तत्पुरुष (वृषस्य पृष्ठम्)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vṛṣabha fells the demon with a tail-sweep and strides forward; the demon, undeterred, rises and follows close behind, almost at the bull’s back.

Characters & Entities

• Vṛṣabha (Nandin/Bull)
• Daitya/Dānava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tamasic persistence can mimic courage, but it remains bound to pursuit and obsession; true strength is aligned with protection of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it belongs to the Revā Khaṇḍa’s Narmadā-region sacred narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.