Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 99

Devanagari script

गदा कौमोदकी नाम नारायणकरस्थिता । अपस्मारादिभूतानि नाशयत्येव सर्वदा

Transliteration

gadā kaumodakī nāma nārāyaṇakarasthitā | apasmārādibhūtāni nāśayatyeva sarvadā

Translation

La massue nommée Kaumodakī, reposant dans la main de Nārāyaṇa, anéantit toujours des êtres tels qu’Apasmāra et autres esprits et maux oppressants.

Word by Word

• गदा: mace
• गदा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• कौमोदकी: Kaumodakī
• कौमोदकी: Apposition (Samānādhikaraṇa/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौमोदकी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; नामविशेषः

• नाम: by name
• नाम: Sambandha (Naming particle/नामार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (quotative/नाम-निर्देशकः: ‘by name’)

• नारायणकरस्थिता: situated in Nārāyaṇa's hand
• नारायणकरस्थिता: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नारायण-कर-स्थित (प्रातिपदिक; नारायण + कर + स्थित (स्था (धातु) + क्त))
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (in the hand of Nārāyaṇa)

• अपस्मारादिभूतानि: beings like epilepsy-demons etc.
• अपस्मारादिभूतानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपस्मार-आदि-भूत (प्रातिपदिक; अपस्मार + आदि + भूत)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (beings such as apasmāra etc.)

• नाशयति: destroys
• नाशयति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश्/नाशय (णिजन्त; नश् (धातु) + णिच्)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; causative (causes to perish)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• सर्वदा: always
• सर्वदा: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (always)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; exact speaker not in snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nārāyaṇa stands with Kaumodakī raised; shadowy afflictive spirits (apasmāra-like) scatter and dissolve, symbolizing removal of disease and possession.

Characters & Entities

• Kaumodakī
• Nārāyaṇa
• Apasmāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine protection is assured: Nārāyaṇa’s power is depicted as removing afflictions and harmful influences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu (Setukhaṇḍa), where devotion and rites are framed as drawing Nārāyaṇa’s protective presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it describes the protective fruit associated with Nārāyaṇa’s grace in this Mahālaya-Śrāddha context.