Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

कंठं शूलेन तीक्ष्णेन पीडयामास कोपिता । ततो देव्यसिमादाय चकर्तास्य शिरो महत्

Transliteration

kaṃṭhaṃ śūlena tīkṣṇena pīḍayāmāsa kopitā | tato devyasimādāya cakartāsya śiro mahat

Translation

Enragée, elle pressa sa gorge avec une lance acérée ; puis la Déesse saisit son épée et trancha sa tête massive.

Word by Word

• कण्ठम्: neck, throat
• कण्ठम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कण्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• शूलेन: with a spear/trident
• शूलेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन (Neuter, Instrumental, Singular)

• तीक्ष्णेन: sharp
• तीक्ष्णेन: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीक्ष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; शूल-विशेषण (Neuter, Instrumental, Singular; adjective of śūlena)

• पीडयामास: tormented, caused pain
• पीडयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पीड् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परिप्रास/परफेक्ट), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (Perfect periphrastic, 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada)

• कोपिता: enraged (she)
• कोपिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कोपित (कृदन्त; कुप्/कोप्-सम्भव)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त), कर्तृ-विशेषण (Feminine, Nominative, Singular; past participle used adjectivally)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; काल/अनुक्रम-बोधक क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverb of sequence: 'then/from there')

• देवी: the goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• असिम्: sword
• असिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• आदाय: having taken
• आदाय: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ-दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having taken)

• चकर्त: cut, severed
• चकर्त: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृत् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परफेक्ट), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (Perfect, 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada)

• अस्य: of him
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Genitive, Singular; pronoun)

• शिरः: head
• शिरः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• महत्: great, huge
• महत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; शिरः-विशेषण (Neuter, Accusative, Singular; adjective of śiraḥ)

Speaker

Narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu-kṣetra (Setubandha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas (viprāḥ)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Durgā in fierce battle posture pins the asura’s throat with a sharp śūla and raises a sword to sever the great head; battlefield strewn with broken weapons and fallen mounts; gods watch from the sky.

Characters & Entities

• Devī (Durgā/Caṇḍikā)
• Mahiṣa-asura
• Śūla
• Asi (sword)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine justice is both restraining (subduing the throat) and decisive (severing the head of adharma).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The slaying occurs within the Dharmapuṣkariṇī/Setukhaṇḍa setting, reinforcing the tīrtha’s sanctity through divine presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the focus is the climactic act of asura-vadha.