Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

कोट्यर्बुदेन सहितो हयानां वातरंहसाम् । पदातिभिरसंख्यातैः पच्चूर्णितशिलोच्चयैः

Transliteration

koṭyarbudena sahito hayānāṃ vātaraṃhasām | padātibhirasaṃkhyātaiḥ paccūrṇitaśiloccayaiḥ

Translation

He was accompanied by a koṭi-arbuda of horses swift as the wind, and by countless foot-soldiers who crushed rocky hillocks to powder.

Word by Word

• कोटि-अर्बुदेन: with crores and arbudas (in number)
• कोटि-अर्बुदेन: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सहकारि)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोटि + अर्बुद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — ‘with a crore and an arbuda (ten million)’ (instrumental of accompaniment/measure)

• सहितः: accompanied
• सहितः: Visheshana (Qualifier of subject/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सह (उपसर्ग) + इ (धातु) → सहित (क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) — ‘accompanied/with’

• हयानाम्: of horses
• हयानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन — ‘of horses’

• वातरंहसाम्: wind-swift
• वातरंहसाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier of hayānām/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वात + रंहस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन — ‘of wind-swift (horses)’

• पदातिभिः: with infantry
• पदातिभिः: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सहकारि)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पदाति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन — ‘by/with foot-soldiers’

• असंख्यातैः: innumerable
• असंख्यातैः: Visheshana (Qualifier of padātibhiḥ/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + संख्यात (कृदन्त from √ख्या)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) used adjectivally — ‘uncounted, innumerable’

• प्रचूर्णित-शिलोच्चयैः: (with infantry) crushing rock-heaps
• प्रचूर्णित-शिलोच्चयैः: Visheshana (Qualifier of padātibhiḥ/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-चूर्णित (क्त from √चूर्ण/√चूर्णय्) + शिला + उच्चय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) — ‘with (troops) that have crushed heaps of rocks’ (instrumental qualifier)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa context: Skanda narrating to Agastya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A storm of horses surges forward, manes streaming like flames; foot-soldiers advance behind, their impact turning rocky mounds into dust; the ground cracks, dust columns rise.

Characters & Entities

• Durga (daitya, implied continuation)
• Horses
• Infantry

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The text magnifies the scale of hostile forces to underscore how decisive divine protection is, not dependent on material calculations.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative belongs to Kāśī-khaṇḍa, ultimately serving the praise of Kāśī and its inviolable sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.