Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 18
Devanagari script
असुरैर्वध्यमाने तु पावकैरिव काननम् । अपतद्दावभूमिष्ठ महाद्रुमवनं यथा
Transliteration
asurairvadhyamāne tu pāvakairiva kānanam | apataddāvabhūmiṣṭha mahādrumavanaṃ yathā
Translation
As they were being slain by the Asuras, they fell—like a forest consumed by fire—like a great woodland of mighty trees collapsing to the ground in a wildfire.
Word by Word
असुरैःby the asuras
असुरैः:
Kartr (Agent in passive context/कर्तृ)
TypeNoun
Rootअसुर (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन
वध्यमानेwhile being slain
वध्यमाने:
Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
TypeAdjective
Rootवध् (धातु)
Formकृदन्त: शानच् (present passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (सन्दर्भे ‘देवानीक’ इत्यादि), सप्तमी, एकवचन; लोके ‘वध्यमाने’ = ‘being slain’
तुbut; indeed
तु:
Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतु (अव्यय)
Formनिपात (contrast/emphasis)
पावकैःby fires
पावकैः:
Karana (Instrument/करण)
TypeNoun
Rootपावक (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन
इवlike
इव:
Upamana-marker (Comparison/उपमान)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइव (अव्यय)
Formउपमानवाचक अव्यय (comparative particle)
काननम्a forest
काननम्:
Upameya (Standard of comparison/उपमेय)
TypeNoun
Rootकानन (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन
अपतत्fell; collapsed
अपतत्:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootपत् (धातु)
Formलङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद
दावभूमिष्ठstanding on the burnt ground
दावभूमिष्ठ:
Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootदाव (प्रातिपदिक) + भूमि (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थ (कृदन्त/स्था-धातु)
Formपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (उपमेय-विशेषण), प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समास: (दाव-भूमि) षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ‘दावस्य भूमिः’; ततः ‘दावभूमि-स्थ’ = दावभूमौ स्थितः
महाद्रुमवनम्a forest of huge trees
महाद्रुमवनम्:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootमहा (प्रातिपदिक) + द्रुम (प्रातिपदिक) + वन (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समास: (महा-द्रुम) कर्मधारय ‘महान्तः द्रुमाः’; ततः ‘महाद्रुम-वन’ = महाद्रुमैः युक्तं वनम् (तत्पुरुष/बहुव्रीह्यर्थे प्रयोगः, अत्र तत्पुरुषरूपेण)
यथाjust as
यथा:
Upamana-marker (Comparison/उपमान)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootयथा (अव्यय)
Formउपमानवाचक अव्यय (as/just as)
Speaker
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) [deduced]
Visual Art Cues
Scene: Warriors fall in heaps as if a great forest of tall trees collapses under a raging wildfire; flames implied through color and motion, bodies like felled trunks.
Characters & Entities
A
AsurasFAQs
The verse underscores the fragility of embodied power; without divine protection and dharma, even the ‘mighty trees’ of an army can fall at once.
No sacred site is identified here.
None.