Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

कस्यचित्त्वथ कालस्य क्रूर बुद्धिः स राक्षसः । ज्ञात्वा तं राक्षसीभूतमेकदाऽयुधवर्जितम्

Transliteration

kasyacittvatha kālasya krūra buddhiḥ sa rākṣasaḥ | jñātvā taṃ rākṣasībhūtamekadā'yudhavarjitam

Translation

Nach einiger Zeit erkannte jener Rākṣasa grausamen Sinnes, dass er zu einem Rākṣasa geworden war und sich einmal ohne Waffen befand.

Word by Word

• कस्यचित्: of someone
• कस्यचित्: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कस्यचित् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular), पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग-प्रयोगानुसार (contextual)

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: सम्बन्ध (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थक (adversative/emphatic)

• अथ: then
• अथ: सम्बन्ध (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle), अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (then/now)

• कालस्य: of time
• कालस्य: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• क्रूर: cruel
• क्रूर: विशेषण (Adjectival to बुद्धिः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifier)

• बुद्धिः: intelligence/mind
• बुद्धिः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• सः: he
• सः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• राक्षसः: a demon (rākṣasa)
• राक्षसः: कर्ता (Apposition to सः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• ज्ञात्वा: having known
• ज्ञात्वा: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial to implied main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (prior action)

• तम्: him
• तम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• राक्षसीभूतम्: having become a rākṣasī / transformed into a demoness
• राक्षसीभूतम्: विशेषण (Adjectival to तम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: राक्षसी (प्रातिपदिक) + भूत (कृदन्त; भू धातु, क्त)
• Form: समासः (compound) राक्षसी-भूत (become a rākṣasī); नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुल्लिङ्ग (contextual), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifier of तम्)

• एकदा: once
• एकदा: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एकदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• अयुधवर्जितम्: unarmed
• अयुधवर्जितम्: विशेषण (Adjectival to तम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अयुध (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्जित (कृदन्त; वर्ज् धातु, क्त)
• Form: समासः (compound) अयुध-वर्जित (devoid of weapons); द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifier of तम्)

Speaker

Sūta (implied)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A lone king, momentarily without weapons, is observed from the shadows by a cruel rākṣasa who recognizes the chance to strike; the air feels tense, as if a sacred landscape holds its breath before violence.

Characters & Entities

• rākṣasa
• rājā (king)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cruelty looks for opportunistic moments; vigilance and dharma are tested precisely when one is vulnerable.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it is connective narration within the chapter’s tīrtha-mahātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.