Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । पुरा दैत्यगणैरुग्रैर्युद्धेऽतिबलवत्तरैः । इन्द्रो देवगणैः सार्द्धं स्वराज्याच्च्यावितो नृप

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca | purā daityagaṇairugrairyuddhe'tibalavattaraiḥ | indro devagaṇaiḥ sārddhaṃ svarājyāccyāvito nṛpa

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya dit : « Jadis, ô roi, dans une guerre contre de farouches troupes de Daityas d’une force écrasante, Indra, avec les cohortes des dieux, fut chassé de sa propre souveraineté ».

Word by Word

• मार्कण्डेयः: Mārkaṇḍeya
• मार्कण्डेयः: कर्ता (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: क्रिया (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: कालाधिकरण/क्रियाविशेषण (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• दैत्यगणैः: by the hosts of Daityas
• दैत्यगणैः: कर्ता (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य + गण (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (दैत्यानां गणाः)

• उग्रैः: fierce
• उग्रैः: कर्ता-विशेषण (Agent-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘दैत्यगणैः’)

• युद्धे: in battle
• युद्धे: अधिकरण (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• अतिबलवत्तरैः: very much stronger
• अतिबलवत्तरैः: कर्ता-विशेषण (Agent-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + बलवत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘दैत्यगणैः’); अतिशयार्थक-पूर्वपद (very)

• इन्द्रः: Indra
• इन्द्रः: कर्म (Patient in passive/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• देवगणैः: with the hosts of gods
• देवगणैः: सह/सहकर्ता (Accompaniment)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + गण (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (देवानां गणाः)

• सार्द्धम्: together with
• सार्द्धम्: सह (Accompaniment marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सार्द्धम् (अव्यय)
• Form: सहार्थक अव्यय (postposition-like adverb)

• स्वराज्यात्: from his own kingdom
• स्वराज्यात्: अपादान (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व + राज्य (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (स्वं राज्यं)

• च्यावितः: was driven out/dislodged
• च्यावितः: क्रिया-विशेष्य (Predicate participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: च्यावय् (धातु; √च्यु causative/णिजन्त) + क्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; णिजन्त (causative)

• नृप: O king
• नृप: सम्बोधन (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Devatīrtha (implied as the forthcoming remedy)

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A fierce battlefield: Daitya hosts surge forward; Indra with the devas retreats, banners lowered—yet the sky hints at future redemption with a distant gleam of a river ford.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Indra
• Devagaṇa (hosts of gods)
• Daitya-gaṇa (demon hosts)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the mighty can fall through adverse karma and conflict; restoration comes through dharmic means taught later (tapas and tīrtha).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse sets the story leading to the Revā-side tīrtha (Devatīrtha) where the devas regain perfection.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly here; it introduces the crisis that will be resolved through tapas and sacred waters.