Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

एवं वाचाऽशरी रिण्या कथिता चंडिका तदा । प्राह स्ववाहनं सिंहमसुरेंद्रवधोद्यता

Transliteration

evaṃ vācā'śarī riṇyā kathitā caṃḍikā tadā | prāha svavāhanaṃ siṃhamasureṃdravadhodyatā

Translation

So von der körperlosen Stimme angesprochen, sprach Caṇḍikā darauf zu ihrem eigenen Reittier, dem Löwen—bereit, den Herrn der Asuras zu erschlagen.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम् (adverb)

• वाचा: by a voice
• वाचा: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāc (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• अशरीरिण्या: by a bodiless (one)
• अशरीरिण्या: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-śarīrinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (वाचायाः)

• कथिता: was spoken/told
• कथिता: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kath (कथ्) → कथित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्तः (क्त/PPP); स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; (चण्डिकायाḥ)

• चण्डिका: Caṇḍikā (the Goddess)
• चण्डिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caṇḍikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• तदा: then
• तदा: Sambandha (Time/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्ययम् (temporal adverb)

• प्राह: said
• प्राह: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ah (अह्/ब्रू)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• स्ववाहनम्: her own mount
• स्ववाहनम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva + vāhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (स्वस्य वाहनम्); नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• सिंहम्: the lion
• सिंहम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: siṃha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; स्ववाहनस्य अप्पोजिशन

• असुरेन्द्रवधोद्यता: ready for the slaying of the lord of asuras
• असुरेन्द्रवधोद्यता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: asura-indra + vadha + udyatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (असुरेन्द्रस्य वधः तस्मिन् उद्यता); स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (चण्डिका)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator describing Caṇḍikā’s action)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmapuṣkariṇī

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Viprāḥ / Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Caṇḍikā, alerted by an unseen voice, turns to her lion mount; the lion is tense, muscles coiled, as if awaiting a single word to spring.

Characters & Entities

• Caṇḍikā
• Siṃha (lion mount)
• Asurendra (Mahiṣa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine resolve (śakti) is portrayed as swift and purposeful when dharma is threatened.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setukhaṇḍa’s tīrtha setting frames the event, with Dharmapuṣkariṇī emerging as the central locale in the surrounding verses.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this is a narrative transition describing readiness for the asura’s destruction.