Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 80

Devanagari script

जघान वासुदेवोपि तरसाऽज्ञातवेदनम् । ततः खट्वांगमादाय गदाहस्तं गदाधरम्

Transliteration

jaghāna vāsudevopi tarasā'jñātavedanam | tataḥ khaṭvāṃgamādāya gadāhastaṃ gadādharam

Translation

Dann streckte auch Vāsudeva Ajñātavedana mit großer Schnelligkeit nieder. Darauf ergriff er den Stab khaṭvāṅga und griff Gadādhara, den Keulenträger, an.

Word by Word

• जघान: struck/killed
• जघान: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम् (singular)

• वासुदेवः: Vāsudeva
• वासुदेवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासुदेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचनम् (singular)

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

• तरसा: swiftly, with force
• तरसा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-एकवचनरूपेण क्रियाविशेषणवत् (instrumental singular used adverbially)

• अज्ञातवेदनम्: one whose pain was not known / insensible
• अज्ञातवेदनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अज्ञात-वेदन (प्रातिपदिक; अज्ञात + वेदन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचनम् (singular)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, काल/क्रमवाचक (then/thereupon)

• खट्वाङ्गम्: a club/mace (khaṭvāṅga)
• खट्वाङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: खट्वाङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचनम् (singular)

• आदाय: having taken
• आदाय: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव (having taken)

• गदाहस्तम्: with a mace in hand
• गदाहस्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गदा-हस्त (प्रातिपदिक; गदा + हस्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचनम् (singular)

• गदाधरम्: the mace-bearer
• गदाधरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गदा-धर (प्रातिपदिक; गदा + धर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचनम् (singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative, typically Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya ṛṣis (typical frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A rapid duel: Vāsudeva strikes down Ajñātavedana, then snatches a khaṭvāṅga staff and rushes the mace-bearing Gadādhara; dust, flying cloth, and weapon arcs dominate the frame.

Characters & Entities

• Vāsudeva
• Ajñātavedana
• Gadādhara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even divine heroes act within dharma’s theatre; power is shown, yet it is ultimately restrained by higher devotion and cosmic order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī-kṣetra (Vārāṇasī), the supreme Śaiva sacred field celebrated throughout the Kāśīkhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is a narrative segment within the Kāśī Māhātmya context.