Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

सगजं च सवज्रं च वासवं ग्रस्तुमुद्युतः । हाहाकारो महा नासीद्भूतानां तत्र पश्यताम्

Transliteration

sagajaṃ ca savajraṃ ca vāsavaṃ grastumudyutaḥ | hāhākāro mahā nāsīdbhūtānāṃ tatra paśyatām

Translation

Rushing forth to devour Vāsava (Indra) together with his elephant and his vajra, Vīrabhadra advanced; and before the hosts of beings who watched, a great cry of alarm arose.

Word by Word

• सगजम्: together with (his) elephant
• सगजम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (उपसर्गवत् ‘सह’ अर्थे) + गज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सह-तत्पुरुष (गजेन सह/गजसहितम्); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (agreeing with वासवम्)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• सवज्रम्: together with (his) thunderbolt
• सवज्रम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (उपसर्गवत् ‘सह’ अर्थे) + वज्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सह-तत्पुरुष (वज्रेण सह/वज्रसहितम्); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (agreeing with वासवम्)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• वासवम्: Vāsava (Indra)
• वासवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ग्रस्तुम्: to swallow/devour
• ग्रस्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ग्रस् (धातु) + तुमुन् (प्रत्यय)
• Form: तुमुनन्त (infinitive), प्रयोजनार्थे

• उद्युतः: ready/intent
• उद्युतः: Karta (Agent-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उद् + यु (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय) ; उद्युत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (ready/raised); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (agreeing with implied subject = वीरभद्रः)

• हाहाकारः: a cry of ‘hā hā’ (wailing)
• हाहाकारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हाहाकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• महान्: great
• महान्: Karta (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (agreeing with हाहाकारः)

• आसीत्: was/arose
• आसीत्: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• भूतानाम्: of the beings
• भूतानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Place/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• पश्यताम्: while (they) were watching
• पश्यताम्: Adhikarana (Genitive absolute/सप्तमीवत् षष्ठी)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पश् (धातु) + शतृ (प्रत्यय) → पश्यत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकर्तरि कृदन्त; षष्ठी, बहुवचन (genitive absolute sense: ‘while ... were seeing’)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra/Kedārakṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vīrabhadra lunges to swallow Indra along with Airāvata and the vajra; the assembled beings cry out in a vast ‘hāhākāra’.

Characters & Entities

• Vīrabhadra
• Indra (Vāsava)
• Vajra
• Airāvata (implied by 'gaja')
• Bhūtas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pride of office and weapons cannot protect one when dharma is overturned; fear arises when divine order is challenged by Śiva’s emissary.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra is the narrative frame; the Kedārakhaṇḍa situates such cosmic memory within the sanctity of the Himalayan tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.