Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

आः पापे स्त्रीति मत्वाद्य न हतासि मया युधि । तस्मात्पश्य प्रहारं मे तत्त्वं बुध्यसि नान्यथा

Transliteration

āḥ pāpe strīti matvādya na hatāsi mayā yudhi | tasmātpaśya prahāraṃ me tattvaṃ budhyasi nānyathā

Translation

“Ah, you sinful one! Thinking you are ‘only a woman,’ I did not kill you in battle. Therefore, behold my blow now—you will understand the truth, and not otherwise.”

Word by Word

• āḥ: ah!, alas!/hey!
• āḥ: Sambodhana-prayoga (Exclamation/सम्बोधन-प्रयोग)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: āḥ (निपात)
• Form: अव्यय (exclamation/interjection)

• pāpe: O sinful (woman)
• pāpe: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचन (vocative): 'O sinful one'

• strī: a woman
• strī: Karma (Object of matvā/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; इति-पूर्वक उद्धरणे (as quoted predicate)

• iti: thus, as
• iti: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Quotation marker/उद्धरणचिह्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (quotative particle)

• matvā: having considered
• matvā: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √man (मन्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund): 'having thought/considered'

• adya: today/now
• adya: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adya (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb of time)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (निपात)
• Form: अव्यय (negation particle)

• hatā: killed
• hatā: Kriya (Predicate complement/क्रिया-भाग)
• Type: Verb
• Root: hata (कृदन्त; √han हन्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग प्रथमा एकवचन; 'slain' (with असि → periphrastic perfect/passive sense)

• asi: are
• asi: Kriya (Auxiliary/सहायकक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (अस्)
• Form: लट्, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; 'you are' (forming 'you are not slain')

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Kartr̥ (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/स्त्री (pronoun), तृतीया एकवचन; 'by me' (agent in passive)

• yudhi: in battle
• yudhi: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yudh (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचन; 'in battle'

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोग (ablatival adverb): 'therefore/from that'

• paśya: see, behold
• paśya: Kriya (Command/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √paś (पश्/दृश्-आदेश)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; 'see!'

• prahāram: blow, strike
• prahāram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prahāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (object of paśya)

• me: my
• me: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी एकवचन (enclitic): 'my'

• tattvam: the truth, reality
• tattvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tattva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (object of budhyasi: 'the truth/reality')

• budhyasi: you will understand
• budhyasi: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √budh (बुध्)
• Form: लट् (present), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; 'you will understand/you understand'

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (निपात)
• Form: अव्यय (negation)

• anyathā: otherwise
• anyathā: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anyathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): 'otherwise'

Speaker

Mahiṣa (buffalo-demon)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mahīṣa jeers at the Goddess, pointing or raising a weapon, his face twisted with contempt; the Goddess stands unwavering, radiating controlled power.

Characters & Entities

• Mahiṣa
• Devī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pride and delusion (especially contempt for the divine) lead to downfall; truth is realized when arrogance meets its consequence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this line; it supports the larger tīrtha-māhātmya storyline.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.