Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

अस्मिन्नंतर्हितः शेते भयार्तो मारयस्व तम् । येनकेनाप्युपायेन चैनं प्राणैर्वियोजय

Transliteration

asminnaṃtarhitaḥ śete bhayārto mārayasva tam | yenakenāpyupāyena cainaṃ prāṇairviyojaya

Translation

„Hier liegt er verborgen, von Furcht gequält—töte ihn. Mit jedem nur möglichen Mittel trenne ihn von seinem Lebenshauch.“

Word by Word

• अस्मिन्: in this (place/thing)
• अस्मिन्: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक; नपुंसकलिङ्गे/पुंलिङ्गे (सन्दर्भानुसार), सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (7th/Locative), एकवचनम् (Singular)

• अन्तर्हितः: hidden, concealed
• अन्तर्हितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: antar + √dhā (धा) → अन्तर्हित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्तः (क्त/PPP); पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• शेते: lies, rests
• शेते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śī (शीङ्/शी)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्; आत्मनेपदम्

• भयार्तः: distressed by fear
• भयार्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhaya + ārta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (भयेन आर्तः); पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• मारयस्व: kill (you)
• मारयस्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √mṛ (मृ) caus. √māray (मारय)
• Form: लोट्-लकारः (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुषः (2nd person), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्; णिजन्त (causative)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक; पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (2nd/Accusative), एकवचनम्

• येन: by which
• येन: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक; तृतीया-विभक्तिः (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचनम्; नपुंसक/पुं (सन्दर्भानुसार)

• केन: by what (means)
• केन: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रश्न-सर्वनाम; तृतीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; नपुंसक/पुं (सन्दर्भानुसार)

• अपि: even, also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-भावः

• उपायेन: by a means, by a method
• उपायेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• एनम्: this one, him
• एनम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: enad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक; पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• प्राणैः: from (his) life-breaths, from life
• प्राणैः: Apādāna (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम् (Plural)

• वियोजय: separate, deprive
• वियोजय: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + √yuj (युज्) caus. √yojay (योजय)
• Form: लोट्-लकारः (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्; णिजन्त (causative)

Speaker

Vācā-aśarīrī (a bodiless voice) addressing Caṇḍikā/Durgā (implied narrative voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmapuṣkariṇī

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas/Ṛṣis (assembly)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tense moment: an unseen, bodiless command points to a hidden foe; the atmosphere is charged, as if the sacred tank conceals danger beneath still waters.

Characters & Entities

• Caṇḍikā
• Durgā
• Mahiṣa (asura)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is protected when fear-born concealment and adharma are decisively confronted; the Divine acts to restore moral order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The episode is tied to Dharmapuṣkariṇī (the sacred tank) within Setukhaṇḍa’s tīrtha landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed here; the verse is a narrative command within the asura-vadha episode.