Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 116
Devanagari script
निवृत्तः सहसा पार्थ महागज इवोन्नदन् । स वज्रमुष्टि नाहत्य भुजे शक्रमपातयत्
Transliteration
nivṛttaḥ sahasā pārtha mahāgaja ivonnadan | sa vajramuṣṭi nāhatya bhuje śakramapātayat
Translation
Then Tāraka suddenly turned back, roaring like a mighty elephant. With a fist hard as a thunderbolt, he struck Indra’s arm and made Śakra fall.
Word by Word
निवृत्तःturned back
निवृत्तः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeVerb
Rootनि+वृत् (धातु)
Formक्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘निवृत्तः’ = प्रतिनिवृत्तः/विरतः (having turned back)
सहसाsuddenly
सहसा:
Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootसहसा (अव्यय)
Formक्रियाविशेषण (adverb)
पार्थO Pārtha
पार्थ:
Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
TypeNoun
Rootपार्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन
महागजःa great elephant
महागजः:
Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
TypeNoun
Rootमहागज (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—महान् गजः (कर्मधारय)
इवlike
इव:
Upama (Comparison marker/उपमा)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइव (अव्यय)
Formउपमावाचक-निपात (particle of comparison)
उन्नदन्roaring
उन्नदन्:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeVerb
Rootउद्+नद् (धातु)
Formशतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘उन्नदन्’ = गर्जन् (roaring)
सःhe
सः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम
वज्रमुष्टिम्(Indra’s) thunderbolt-fist
वज्रमुष्टिम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootवज्रमुष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—वज्रस्य मुष्टिः/मुष्टिवज्रः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)
नnot
न:
Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootन (अव्यय)
Formनिषेधार्थक-निपात (negation particle)
आहत्यhaving struck
आहत्य:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootआ+हन् (धातु)
Formक्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; ‘आहत्य’ = आघात्य (having struck)
भुजेon the arm(s)
भुजे:
Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootभुज् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, द्विवचन/एकवचन (प्रयोगे ‘भुजे’ प्रायः सप्तमी-एकवचन); अधिकरण
शक्रम्Śakra (Indra)
शक्रम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootशक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन
अपातयत्made (him) fall / struck down
अपातयत्:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootअव+पत् (धातु)
Formलङ् (imperfect/past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; हेतुमति-प्रयोगः (causative sense in context: ‘caused to fall’)
Speaker
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating to the sages
Visual Art Cues
Scene: Tāraka pivots suddenly, roaring like a rutting elephant; his fist—likened to a vajra—smashes Indra’s arm; Indra reels and falls, crown and thunderbolt slipping as Devas recoil.
Characters & Entities
T
TārakaI
Indra (Śakra)FAQs
Power without Dharma can topple even the mighty; hence divine victory requires a higher, divinely ordained resolution.
No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse is purely narrative.
None.