Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

उन्ममाथ रथं चापि तं बाणैर्हृद्यताडयत् । स भग्नधन्वा विरथो हताश्वो हतसारथिः

Transliteration

unmamātha rathaṃ cāpi taṃ bāṇairhṛdyatāḍayat | sa bhagnadhanvā viratho hatāśvo hatasārathiḥ

Translation

Auch seinen Wagen zerschmetterte sie und traf ihn mit Pfeilen in die Brust. Mit zerbrochenem Bogen, zerstörtem Wagen, getöteten Pferden und erschlagenem Lenker blieb er hilflos zurück.

Word by Word

• उन्ममाथ: shook/overturned
• उन्ममाथ: Kriya (मुख्यक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मथ् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; उपसर्ग: उत्

• रथम्: the chariot
• रथम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

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

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (pronoun)

• बाणैः: with arrows
• बाणैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन

• हृदि: in the heart
• हृदि: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• अताडयत्: struck
• अताडयत्: Kriya (मुख्यक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ताड् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; उपसर्ग: आ (आताडयत्)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (pronoun)

• भग्नधन्वा: with broken bow
• भग्नधन्वा: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भग्न (कृदन्त, √भञ्ज्) + धन्वन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि: यस्य धनुः भग्नम् (whose bow is broken)

• विरथः: without a chariot
• विरथः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विरथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि: विगतः रथः यस्य (chariotless)

• हताश्वः: whose horses were killed
• हताश्वः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हत (कृदन्त, √हन्) + अश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि: हताः अश्वाः यस्य (whose horses are slain)

• हतसारथिः: whose charioteer was killed
• हतसारथिः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हत (कृदन्त, √हन्) + सारथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि: हतः सारथिः यस्य (whose charioteer is slain)

Speaker

Sūta (contextual deduction)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setukṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Arrows strike Caṇḍakopa’s chest; chariot splinters; the asura stands ‘viratha’—bow broken, horses and charioteer down—while Ambikā remains poised, lion steady.

Characters & Entities

• Ambikā (Devī)
• Caṇḍakopa (implied continuation)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Adharma loses strength when pride and power-symbols are dismantled; Devī’s arrows restore moral order by striking at the ‘heart’ of wrongdoing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu-kṣetra is the narrative setting; the māhātmya frames the region as protected by the Goddess and thus worthy of pilgrimage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is directly stated in this verse.