Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 81

Devanagari script

आताड्य सव्यदोर्दंडे गदां भूमावपातयत् । कुपितोयं मधुद्वेषी चक्रेणाताडयच्च तम्

Transliteration

ātāḍya savyadordaṃḍe gadāṃ bhūmāvapātayat | kupitoyaṃ madhudveṣī cakreṇātāḍayacca tam

Translation

En frappant son bras gauche, il fit tomber la massue à terre. Puis Madhudveṣī, le pourfendeur de Madhu, courroucé, le frappa aussi de son disque.

Word by Word

• आताड्य: having struck
• आताड्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-ताड् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव (having struck)

• सव्य: left
• सव्य: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचनम् (singular)

• दोर्दण्डे: on the arm-staff (forearm)
• दोर्दण्डे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दोर्-दण्ड (प्रातिपदिक; दोर् + दण्ड)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचनम् (singular)

• गदाम्: mace
• गदाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचनम् (singular)

• भूमौ: on the ground
• भूमौ: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचनम् (singular)

• अपातयत्: made (it) fall / knocked down
• अपातयत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव-पत् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम् (singular), णिच्-प्रयोग (causative sense: caused to fall)

• कुपितः: enraged
• कुपितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुपित (प्रातिपदिक; √कुप् + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचनम् (singular)

• अयम्: this (one)
• अयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचनम् (singular)

• मधुद्वेषी: enemy of Madhu (Viṣṇu)
• मधुद्वेषी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधु-द्वेषिन् (प्रातिपदिक; मधु + द्वेषिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचनम् (singular)

• चक्रेण: with the discus
• चक्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचनम् (singular)

• आताडयत्: struck
• आताडयत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-ताड् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम् (singular)

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

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचनम् (singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative, typically Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya ṛṣis (typical)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vāsudeva strikes Gadādhara’s left arm; the heavy mace drops, thudding into the earth. Hari, enraged, hurls/strikes with the blazing discus, a bright circular arc cutting the air.

Characters & Entities

• Madhudveṣī (Viṣṇu)
• Cakra (Sudarśana)
• Gadā (mace)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Force and anger arise even among the exalted, yet the Purāṇic frame points beyond conflict to the higher sovereignty of dharma and devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), presented as the arena where divine principles are revealed in story-form.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse advances the battle narrative.