Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 75

Devanagari script

किं त्रस्तनयनाश्चैव समरे परिनिर्जिताः । न युक्तमेतच्छूराणां विशेषाद्दैत्यजन्मनाम्

Transliteration

kiṃ trastanayanāścaiva samare parinirjitāḥ | na yuktametacchūrāṇāṃ viśeṣāddaityajanmanām

Translation

Why do you flee with frightened eyes, defeated on the battlefield? This is not fitting for heroes—least of all for those born as Daityas.

Word by Word

• किम्: why? / what?
• किम्: Sambandha (Interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative particle)

• त्रस्तनयनाः: with frightened eyes
• त्रस्तनयनाः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रस्त + नयन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (त्रस्तानि नयनानि येषाम्), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• समरे: in battle
• समरे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• परिनिर्जिताः: defeated utterly
• परिनिर्जिताः: Kriyā (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परि-नि-जी (धातु) → परिनिर्जित (कृदन्त-क्त)
• Form: क्त-कृदन्त ‘completely defeated’, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विधेय-विशेषण

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation)

• युक्तम्: is proper
• युक्तम्: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युज् (धातु) → युक्त (कृदन्त-क्त)
• Form: क्त-कृदन्त ‘proper/fit’, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• शूराणाम्: of heroes
• शूराणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• विशेषात्: especially
• विशेषात्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययीभाव (ablatival adverb) ‘especially’

• दैत्यजन्मनाम्: of those born as Daityas
• दैत्यजन्मनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य + जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (दैत्य-जन्म), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘of those of Daitya-birth’

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating dialogue among the Daityas (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kālanemi confronts fleeing daityas: their eyes wide with terror; he stands firm, scolding them, pointing back toward the battlefield, demanding they return to fight.

Characters & Entities

• Daityas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma includes steadfastness and responsibility; fear-driven retreat is portrayed as a fall from one’s declared nature and duty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the focus is moral exhortation within a war episode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an admonition about conduct (ācāra) in conflict.