Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 77

Devanagari script

योषित्सुवध्योऽसि रणं विभुंच शुंभाऽशुभ स्वल्पतरैरहोभिः । मत्तोर्हसि त्वं न वृथैव मूढ ततोऽपयातः स च शंभदानवः

Transliteration

yoṣitsuvadhyo'si raṇaṃ vibhuṃca śuṃbhā'śubha svalpatarairahobhiḥ | mattorhasi tvaṃ na vṛthaiva mūḍha tato'payātaḥ sa ca śaṃbhadānavaḥ

Translation

“Oh, inauspicioso Shumbha, eres apto para ser asesinado por una mujer; y tu destreza en la batalla terminará en pocos días. No eres rival para mí; no te esfuerces en vano, oh necio”. Diciendo esto, ese Danava Shumbha se retiró.

Word by Word

• yoṣitsu: among women
• yoṣitsu: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yoṣit (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन — Locative plural; ‘among women’

• vadhyaḥ: fit to be slain
• vadhyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vadhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular; predicate adjective

• asi: are
• asi: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन — ‘you are’

• raṇam: battle
• raṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: raṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative singular

• vibhum: O mighty one
• vibhum: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vibhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative singular (vocative intended in sense)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय — conjunction ‘and’

• śuṃbha: O Śumbha
• śuṃbha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śuṃbha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — direct address

• aśubha: O inauspicious one
• aśubha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — vocative adjective

• svalpataraiḥ: with fewer
• svalpataraiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: svalpatara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन — Instrumental plural; comparative ‘with fewer/smaller’

• ahobhiḥ: by days
• ahobhiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ahaḥ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन — Instrumental plural; ‘by days’

• mattaḥ: from me
• mattaḥ: Apādāna (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन — Ablative singular; ‘from me’

• arhasi: are worthy
• arhasi: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arh (अर्ह् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन — ‘you deserve/are worthy’

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय — negation

• vṛthā: in vain
• vṛthā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vṛthā (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय — adverb ‘in vain’

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय — emphatic particle ‘indeed/only’

• mūḍha: O fool
• mūḍha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūḍha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन — vocative; ‘O fool’

• tataḥ: therefore
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — adverb ‘therefore/from there’

• apayātaḥ: retreated
• apayātaḥ: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: apa-√yā (या धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — past passive participle used predicatively; ‘having gone away/retreated’

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय — conjunction

• śaṃbha-dānavaḥ: the demon Śambha’s (one)
• śaṃbha-dānavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃbha (प्रातिपदिक) + dānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (genitive determinative) ‘Śambha’s demon’

Speaker

Viṣṇu

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A divine speaker delivers a cutting prophecy to Śuṃbha in the midst of a charged battlefield; Śuṃbha, stung by the words, withdraws with wounded pride while weapons and banners stand poised.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Śuṃbha
• Yoṣit (woman, foretold slayer—implied Devī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pride collapses before Śakti; destiny in the Purāṇas often affirms the victory of dharma through the Divine Feminine.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the focus is prophetic and martial.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.