Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 75

Devanagari script

किं त्रस्तनयनाश्चैव समरे परिनिर्जिताः । न युक्तमेतच्छूराणां विशेषाद्दैत्यजन्मनाम्

Transliteration

kiṃ trastanayanāścaiva samare parinirjitāḥ | na yuktametacchūrāṇāṃ viśeṣāddaityajanmanām

Translation

Warum flieht ihr mit angstgeweiteten Augen, im Kampf besiegt? Das ziemt sich nicht für Helden, erst recht nicht für die, die als Daityas geboren sind.

Word by Word

• किम्: why? / what?
• किम्: Sambandha (Interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative particle)

• त्रस्तनयनाः: with frightened eyes
• त्रस्तनयनाः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रस्त + नयन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (त्रस्तानि नयनानि येषाम्), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण

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

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• समरे: in battle
• समरे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• परिनिर्जिताः: defeated utterly
• परिनिर्जिताः: Kriyā (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परि-नि-जी (धातु) → परिनिर्जित (कृदन्त-क्त)
• Form: क्त-कृदन्त ‘completely defeated’, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विधेय-विशेषण

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation)

• युक्तम्: is proper
• युक्तम्: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युज् (धातु) → युक्त (कृदन्त-क्त)
• Form: क्त-कृदन्त ‘proper/fit’, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• शूराणाम्: of heroes
• शूराणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• विशेषात्: especially
• विशेषात्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययीभाव (ablatival adverb) ‘especially’

• दैत्यजन्मनाम्: of those born as Daityas
• दैत्यजन्मनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य + जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (दैत्य-जन्म), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘of those of Daitya-birth’

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating dialogue among the Daityas (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kālanemi confronts fleeing daityas: their eyes wide with terror; he stands firm, scolding them, pointing back toward the battlefield, demanding they return to fight.

Characters & Entities

• Daityas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma includes steadfastness and responsibility; fear-driven retreat is portrayed as a fall from one’s declared nature and duty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the focus is moral exhortation within a war episode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an admonition about conduct (ācāra) in conflict.