Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

कांश्चिदुत्थाय जघ्नेऽसौ मुष्टिभिः किंकरान्रणे । कांश्चित्पादप्रहारेण धावन्नन्यानचूर्णयत्

Transliteration

kāṃścidutthāya jaghne'sau muṣṭibhiḥ kiṃkarānraṇe | kāṃścitpādaprahāreṇa dhāvannanyānacūrṇayat

Translation

Se relevant, il abattit au combat certains serviteurs de Yama à coups de poing ; d’autres, en courant, il les réduisit en poussière d’un coup de pied.

Word by Word

• कान्: some (persons)
• कान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (Pronoun), पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• चित्: some, certain
• चित्: Modifier (विशेषक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चित् (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle) — अनिश्चितार्थक/किञ्चित्-प्रयोग

• उत्थाय: having risen
• उत्थाय: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial to main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत्-स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), परस्मैपदी; ‘having risen/standing up’

• जघ्ने: struck, slew
• जघ्ने: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• असौ: he (that one)
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (Pronoun), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• मुष्टिभिः: with fists
• मुष्टिभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• किंकरान्: servants, attendants
• किंकरान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किंकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• रणे: in battle
• रणे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• कान्: some (others)
• कान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (Pronoun), पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• चित्: some, certain
• चित्: Modifier (विशेषक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चित् (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle) — अनिश्चितार्थक

• पाद-प्रहारेण: by a kick (foot-strike)
• पाद-प्रहारेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाद (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी/संबन्ध: ‘पादस्य प्रहारः’), पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• धावन्: running
• धावन्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धाव् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (Present active participle), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘running’

• अन्यान्: others
• अन्यान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• अचूर्णयत्: crushed, pulverized
• अचूर्णयत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चूर्णय् (धातु; चूर्ण-नामधातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced: Māheśvara-khaṇḍa narration to sages)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A fierce warrior rises and crushes Yama’s attendants—some with clenched fists, others with running kicks—amid a chaotic battlefield of fallen weapons and scattering messengers of death.

Characters & Entities

• Grasana
• Kiṅkaras (servants of Yama)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Physical might can overpower many, yet Purāṇas imply that force alone cannot outrun cosmic law (dharma) administered by Yama.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None is mentioned in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual instruction occurs here.