Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

कुजंभेनाथ संसक्तो रजनीचरनंदनः । मायाममोघामाश्रित्य तामसीं राक्षसेश्वरः

Transliteration

kujaṃbhenātha saṃsakto rajanīcaranaṃdanaḥ | māyāmamoghāmāśritya tāmasīṃ rākṣaseśvaraḥ

Translation

Engagé dans le combat contre Kujaṃbha, le seigneur des Rākṣasas—fils de la race errant dans la nuit—recourut à une māyā infaillible, née des ténèbres.

Word by Word

• कुजंभेन: with Kujambha (name)
• कुजंभेन: Karana (Instrument/सहकारि)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुजंभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masc. instr. sg.); (नाम/व्यक्तिवाचक)

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रमसूचक (then)

• संसक्तः: associated
• संसक्तः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-सञ्ज्/सस् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (PPP) विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘attached/associated’

• रजनीचरनन्दनः: son of a night-ranger (rākṣasa)
• रजनीचरनन्दनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रजनीचर + नन्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘रजनीचरस्य नन्दनः’ = son of a night-ranger)

• मायाम्: illusion
• मायाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (fem. acc. sg.)

• अमोघाम्: unfailing
• अमोघाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमोघ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (fem. acc. sg.)

• आश्रित्य: having resorted to
• आश्रित्य: Kriya (Gerundial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-श्रि (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय; ‘having resorted to’

• तामसीम्: dark/demonic
• तामसीम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तामसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (fem. acc. sg.)

• राक्षसेश्वरः: lord of the rākṣasas
• राक्षसेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षस + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘राक्षसानाम् ईश्वरः’)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking to the sages (deduced from Māheśvara-khaṇḍa narrative style)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A rākṣasa lord, locked with Kujambha, invokes a dark, unfailing illusion; shadows coil outward, swallowing the battlefield as forms blur and directions vanish.

Characters & Entities

• Kujaṃbha
• Rākṣaseśvara (lord of Rākṣasas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Power rooted in tamas (darkness and delusion) may appear effective, yet it signals adharma and foreshadows eventual defeat when opposed by higher truth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse; it functions as a battle episode within the Kaumārikā-khaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse focuses on martial events and the deployment of māyā.