Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

व्यास उवाच । तदागतं महासैन्यं दृष्ट्वा भयविलोलितम् । गन्धर्वनगरात्सर्वे विनेशुस्ते दिशो दश

Transliteration

vyāsa uvāca | tadāgataṃ mahāsainyaṃ dṛṣṭvā bhayavilolitam | gandharvanagarātsarve vineśuste diśo daśa

Translation

Vyāsa sprach: Als sie jenes große Heer herankommen sahen, vom Schrecken hin- und hergeworfen, flohen sie alle aus der Stadt der Gandharvas in die zehn Richtungen.

Word by Word

• व्यासः: Vyāsa
• व्यासः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तद्-आगतम्: that which had come
• तद्-आगतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + आ-गम् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय/PPP) ‘आगत’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (तत् आगतम् = that which has come)

• महा-सैन्यम्: the great army
• महा-सैन्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + सैन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महत् सैन्यम्)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त्वा-प्रत्यय (Gerund/Absolutive)

• भय-विलोलितम्: agitated by fear
• भय-विलोलितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भय (प्रातिपदिक) + वि-लुल्/लोल् (धातु-आश्रित कृदन्त ‘विलोलित’)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय/PPP) ‘विलोलित’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (भयेन विलोलितम्)

• गन्धर्व-नगरात्: from the Gandharva-city
• गन्धर्व-नगरात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + नगर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गन्धर्वाणां नगरम्)

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• विनेशुः: perished, were destroyed
• विनेशुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-नश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• दिशः: directions
• दिशः: Gati/Karma (Goal as object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: diś (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• दश: ten
• दश: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśa (प्रातिपदिक/संख्या)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; (दिशः इति विशेष्यस्य) द्वितीया, बहुवचन-सामञ्जस्येण प्रयोगः

Speaker

Vyāsa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gandharva-nagara (within Dharmāraṇya narrative)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous, ornate Gandharva city in the background; in the foreground, frightened beings fleeing in all directions; the horizon dark with the approaching host; dust trails and scattered musical instruments left behind.

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Mahāsainya (great host)
• Gandharvanagara (city of Gandharvas)
• Ten directions

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly splendor collapses before divine justice; fear drives beings to seek refuge when confronted by higher power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Gandharva city is mentioned as a narrative locale; the broader Dharmāraṇya region remains the sacred frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this verse narrates flight and dispersal.