Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

मुष्टिभिर्बाहुभिश्चैव नखैर्दंतैर्विकर्षणैः । एवं वर्षसहस्रं तु तयोर्युद्धमवर्त्तत

Transliteration

muṣṭibhirbāhubhiścaiva nakhairdaṃtairvikarṣaṇaiḥ | evaṃ varṣasahasraṃ tu tayoryuddhamavarttata

Translation

Mit Fäusten und Armen, mit Nägeln und Zähnen, einander zerreißend—so währte ihr Kampf tausend Jahre.

Word by Word

• मुष्टिभिः: with fists
• मुष्टिभिः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; करण

• बाहुभिः: with arms
• बाहुभिः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; करण

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक) = conjunction

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अवधारण) = emphatic particle

• नखैः: with nails
• नखैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; करण

• दन्तैः: with teeth
• दन्तैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; करण

• विकर्षणैः: with tearing/pulling (actions)
• विकर्षणैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वि-√कृष् (धातु) + विकर्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; साधन/प्रकारवाचक; ‘विकर्षण’ = pulling/tearing

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण)

• वर्षसहस्रम्: for a thousand years
• वर्षसहस्रम्: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time extent/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘वर्षाणां सहस्रम्’ = a thousand years; कालावधि

• तु: and/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विरोध/अन्वय) = connective particle

• तयोः: of the two
• तयोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), द्विवचन; सर्वनाम

• युद्धम्: the battle
• युद्धम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अवर्त्तत: continued, went on
• अवर्त्तत: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव-√वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/इम्परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Pulastya (narration)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close-quarters wrestling: fists, forearms, nails and teeth; torn garments, flying hair, sparks of divine energy; a visual sense of prolonged, grinding struggle.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Govinda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unchecked anger can persist across vast time; the Purāṇic imagination warns that ego-driven conflict becomes self-perpetuating.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated in this verse.