Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

तदप्रतर्क्यं नवहेतितुल्यं चक्रं पपात ग्रसनस्य कण्ठे । तद्रक्तधारा रुणघोरनाभि जगाम भूयोपि करं मुरारेः

Transliteration

tadapratarkyaṃ navahetitulyaṃ cakraṃ papāta grasanasya kaṇṭhe | tadraktadhārā ruṇaghoranābhi jagāma bhūyopi karaṃ murāreḥ

Translation

Jenes unergründliche Rad—gleich einer frisch geschärften Waffe—fiel auf Grasanas Kehle. Und Sudarśana, mit schrecklichem Nabel, vom Blutstrom benetzt, kehrte abermals in die Hand Murāris (Viṣṇus) zurück.

Word by Word

• tat: that
• tat: Viśeṣaṇa (of cakram)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• apratarkyam: unthinkable, irresistible
• apratarkyam: Viśeṣaṇa (of cakram)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a + pratarkya (प्रातिपदिक; from prati-√tर्क ‘to reason/guess’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; यत्-प्रत्ययान्त/कृदन्त-भाव: ‘अप्रतर्क्यम्’ = not to be conjectured/irresistible

• navahetitul्यम: like a new weapon
• navahetitul्यम: Viśeṣaṇa (of cakram)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nava + heti + tulya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘नवहेतिना तुल्यम्’ (like a new missile/weapon)

• cakram: the discus
• cakram: Karta (Subject of papāta)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cakra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• papāta: fell, struck down
• papāta: Kriyā (main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pat (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• grasanasya: of Grasana (a demon)
• grasanasya: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: grasana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• kaṇṭhe: in/on the neck
• kaṇṭhe: Adhikaraṇa (location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaṇṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• tat: that
• tat: Viśeṣaṇa (of raktadhārā)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• raktadhārā: stream of blood
• raktadhārā: Karta (Subject of jagāma)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rakta + dhārā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘रक्तस्य धारा’

• ruṇaghoranābhi: with a dreadful hub
• ruṇaghoranābhi: Viśeṣaṇa (contextual, of cakra/raktadhārā’s cause)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ruṇa + ghora + nābhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (as epithet of cakra implied): ‘रुणा घोरा नाभिः यस्य तत्’ (with a dreadful/whirring hub)

• jagāma: went, returned
• jagāma: Kriyā (main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• bhūyaḥ: again
• bhūyaḥ: Kāla/Prakāra (adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhūyaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (पुनरावृत्ति/adverb): again

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/particle: also/even)

• karam: hand
• karam: Karma (goal/object of motion: to the hand)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• murāreḥ: of Murāri (Viṣṇu)
• murāreḥ: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (of whom: Hari)
• Type: Noun
• Root: murāri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘मुरस्य अरिः’ (enemy of Mura)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced from Māheśvara-khaṇḍa style)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sudarśana, newly whetted and unfathomable, slices into Grasana’s throat; blood streams as the terrible-naved disc arcs back to Viṣṇu’s hand.

Characters & Entities

• Grasana
• Murāri (Viṣṇu)
• Sudarśana Cakra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine power acts decisively to protect dharma; the Lord’s weapons symbolize unfailing moral order returning to their source.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it is a martial narration within the Kaumārikā-khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it focuses on the battlefield act of the Sudarśana.