Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

तयोस्तद्युद्धमभवद्घोरं वै तारकामयम् । ततस्त्वकांड ब्रह्मांड भंगाद्भीतोभवद्विधिः

Transliteration

tayostadyuddhamabhavadghoraṃ vai tārakāmayam | tatastvakāṃḍa brahmāṃḍa bhaṃgādbhītobhavadvidhiḥ

Translation

Between the two, the battle became truly dreadful, bound up with the affair of Tārā. Then, fearing the sudden shattering of the cosmic egg, the Ordainer (Brahmā) grew alarmed.

Word by Word

• तयोः: of those two
• तयोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), द्विवचन (Dual) — Genitive dual

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — used adjectivally

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

• अभवत्: occurred
• अभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist/लुङ्), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन — 'became/occurred'

• घोरम्: terrible
• घोरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — agreeing with युद्धम्

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphasis)

• तारकामयम्: connected with Tārakā / consisting of Tārakā
• तारकामयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तारका + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — 'made of/consisting of Tārakā' (मयट्-प्रत्ययार्थ)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana/Hetu (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) — 'thereupon/from that'

• तु: but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (contrastive particle)

• अकाण्ड: suddenly
• अकाण्ड: Adhikarana (Adverbial locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अकाण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — adverbial use 'suddenly/without cause'

• ब्रह्माण्ड: Brahmā’s cosmic egg (universe)
• ब्रह्माण्ड: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् + अण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — in compound relation with भङ्गात् (as 'of the cosmic egg')

• भङ्गात्: from the breaking
• भङ्गात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन — Ablative singular

• भीतः: frightened
• भीतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भीत (कृदन्त; √भी धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — agreeing with विधिः

• अभवत्: became
• अभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist/लुङ्), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• विधिः: Brahmā (the Ordainer)
• विधिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A terrifying celestial battle between two divine factions; the sky churns, weapons blaze; Brahmā, alarmed, perceives the cosmic egg cracking and moves to stop the catastrophe.

Characters & Entities

• Tārā
• Vidhi (Brahmā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Personal conflict can threaten cosmic harmony; divine governance acts to prevent destruction and re-establish balance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is the Kāśī-khaṇḍa’s sacred discourse; no particular tīrtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.