Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

शस्त्रं लोहमयं येषां वागेव तत्समन्विताः । पापैः पराभिभूतानां तेषां लोकोत्तरं बलम्

Transliteration

śastraṃ lohamayaṃ yeṣāṃ vāgeva tatsamanvitāḥ | pāpaiḥ parābhibhūtānāṃ teṣāṃ lokottaraṃ balam

Translation

Bei denen, deren Waffe aus Eisen ist und deren Rede selbst so bewaffnet ist, erhebt sich, selbst wenn sie von Sünden angegriffen und überwältigt werden, eine überweltliche Kraft (lokottara).

Word by Word

• शस्त्रम्: weapon
• शस्त्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• लोहमयम्: made of iron
• लोहमयम्: Visheshana (Adjectival to शस्त्रम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लोह (प्रातिपदिक) + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (लोहेन मयम्)

• येषाम्: of whom
• येषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• वाक्: speech
• वाक्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• एव: alone / indeed
• एव: Avadharana (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अवधारणार्थक-निपात)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshya (Refers to शस्त्रम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• समन्विताः: endowed (with)
• समन्विताः: Karta (Subject complement/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समन्वित (कृदन्त, सम्+अनु+√इ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक (past passive participle)

• पापैः: by sins
• पापैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• पराभिभूतानाम्: of those overwhelmed
• पराभिभूतानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर-अभि-भूत (कृदन्त, परा+अभि+√भू)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक (past passive participle)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• लोकोत्तरम्: transcendent / beyond the world
• लोकोत्तरम्: Visheshana (Adjectival to बलम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (लोकात् उत्तरम्/अतीतम्)

• बलम्: strength
• बलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified (Tīrthamāhātmya narrative voice; likely a Purāṇic narrator addressing the listener within Nāgarakhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dharmic guardian or sage stands with an iron sword, yet the sword is mirrored by a stream of glowing syllables from his mouth; shadowy figures of ‘sins’ recoil as if struck; a subtle aura indicates otherworldly strength.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Speech carries karmic force; disciplined, truth-aligned words can become a protective strength even amid the pressure of sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse sits within a Tīrthamāhātmya context, but no specific tīrtha-name is stated in the shloka itself.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual (snāna, dāna, japa) is prescribed in this verse; it emphasizes ethical potency, especially of speech.