Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

ततः प्रगृह्य विपुलामष्टघंटां विभीषणः । अभिमंत्र्य महाशक्तिं चिक्षे पास्य शिरः प्रति

Transliteration

tataḥ pragṛhya vipulāmaṣṭaghaṃṭāṃ vibhīṣaṇaḥ | abhimaṃtrya mahāśaktiṃ cikṣe pāsya śiraḥ prati

Translation

Darauf ergriff Vibhīṣaṇa eine gewaltige Waffe mit acht Glöckchen, weihte jenen großen Speer durch Mantra und schleuderte ihn gegen des Feindes Haupt.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Temporal (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रम/अनन्तरवाचक (then/thereupon)

• प्रगृह्य: having seized
• प्रगृह्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु) + प्र → प्रगृह् (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) अव्यय; ‘having seized/taken up’

• विपुलाम्: large, massive
• विपुलाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विपुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; qualifies अष्टघण्टाम्

• अष्टघण्टाम्: the Aṣṭaghaṇṭā (eight-belled weapon)
• अष्टघण्टाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्ट (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + घण्टा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; a weapon named ‘Aṣṭaghaṇṭā’

• विभीषणः: Vibhīṣaṇa
• विभीषणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विभीषण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अभिमन्त्र्य: having enchanted
• अभिमन्त्र्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मन्त्र् (धातु) + अभि → अभिमन्त्र् (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) अव्यय; ‘having consecrated/enchanted’

• महाशक्तिम्: the great spear/śakti-weapon
• महाशक्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• चिक्षे: threw
• चिक्षे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्षिप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पाश्य: at Pāśya (the one named Pāśya)
• पाश्य: Sampradana/Target (प्रति-लक्ष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाशिन्/पाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; object understood as target (name/epithet)

• शिरः: head
• शिरः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• प्रति: towards, against
• प्रति: Direction/Goal (गति/प्रति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्गसदृश/पूर्वप्रयोगः, दिशावाचक (towards/against)

Speaker

Narrator (Setukhaṇḍa frame; speaker not explicit in this snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vibhīṣaṇa lifts a huge eight-belled spear/śakti; he murmurs mantra, the weapon glows, then he hurls it toward the enemy’s head.

Characters & Entities

• Vibhīṣaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Strength guided by mantra and disciplined intent is portrayed as superior to mere brute force.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Setukhaṇḍa context links the episode to Setubandha/Rāmeśvara, though this verse itself is martial.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Only the idea of abhimantraṇa (mantra-consecration) is referenced, not a public rite like snāna or dāna.