Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

पत्त्यश्वमातंगघटावरूथसहस्रलक्षायुतकोटिभीषणम् । अक्षौहिणीनां शतमाततायिनां छिंद्या न्मूढो घोरकुठारधारया

Transliteration

pattyaśvamātaṃgaghaṭāvarūthasahasralakṣāyutakoṭibhīṣaṇam | akṣauhiṇīnāṃ śatamātatāyināṃ chiṃdyā nmūḍho ghorakuṭhāradhārayā

Translation

Quand bien même cent akṣauhiṇī d’agresseurs meurtriers s’avanceraient—terrifiants par d’innombrables milliers, lakhs, ayutas et crores de fantassins, chevaux, éléphants, chars et troupes cuirassées—qu’un homme égaré les tranche du fil acéré d’une hache redoutable.

Word by Word

• पत्ति-अश्व-मातङ्ग-घट-अवरूथ-सहस्र-लक्ष-अयुत-कोटि-भीषणम्: terrifying with (countless) infantry, horses, elephants, chariots—thousands, lakhs, ayutas, crores
• पत्ति-अश्व-मातङ्ग-घट-अवरूथ-सहस्र-लक्ष-अयुत-कोटि-भीषणम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पत्ति + अश्व + मातङ्ग + घट + अवरूथ + सहस्र + लक्ष + अयुत + कोटि + भीषण (प्रातिपदिक); पत्त्यश्वमातङ्गघटावरूथसहस्रलक्षायुतकोटिभीषण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd); एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifying implied object)

• अक्षौहिणीनाम्: of armies (akṣauhiṇīs)
• अक्षौहिणीनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्षौहिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th); बहुवचन (Plural)

• शतम्: a hundred
• शतम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd); एकवचन (Singular); संख्यावाचक

• आततायिनाम्: of assailants, aggressors
• आततायिनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आततायिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th); बहुवचन (Plural)

• छिन्द्यात्: should cut, may cut down
• छिन्द्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: छिद् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/संभावना-विधि); प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd); एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपद

• मूढः: the deluded one, fool
• मूढः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूढ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st); एकवचन (Singular)

• घोर-कुठार-धारया: with the edge of a dreadful axe
• घोर-कुठार-धारया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: घोर + कुठार + धारा (प्रातिपदिक); घोरकुठारधारा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd); एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Not explicit in this verse (context not provided); within Brāhma Khaṇḍa, Brahmottara Khaṇḍa—likely a Purāṇic narrator (e.g., Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa) conveying a dharma-judgment.

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast, ordered enemy host with elephants, horses, chariots, and infantry surges forward like a dark tide; in the foreground, a resolute figure raises a gleaming axe whose edge emits a protective arc of light, symbolizing decisive severance of threat and delusion.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It stresses dharma as protection: when faced with ātatāyins (violent aggressors), decisive resistance is presented as a duty rather than weakness or confusion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha or sacred geography is explicitly named in this verse; it reads as a general dharma/royal-ethics statement within the chapter’s broader context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse—there is no direct instruction about snāna, dāna, vrata, or japa; the focus is on conduct (dharma) in the face of aggression.