Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

त्रिशूलेन तदा यावद्धंतुकामो महाबलः । निवारितः कुमारेण मावधीस्त्वं महामते

Transliteration

triśūlena tadā yāvaddhaṃtukāmo mahābalaḥ | nivāritaḥ kumāreṇa māvadhīstvaṃ mahāmate

Translation

Au moment où ce puissant, voulant frapper à mort de son trident, allait porter le coup, il fut retenu par le Kumāra : «Ne le tue pas, ô noble d’âme».

Word by Word

• triśūlena: with the trident
• triśūlena: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: triśūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः—द्विगु

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• yāvat: as long as, until
• yāvat: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/limit)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/अवधि-वाचक-अव्यय (as long as/until)

• hantukāmaḥ: desiring to kill
• hantukāmaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hantu (√han, तुमुन्/infinitive-base) + kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (हन्तुं कामः) विशेषणम् (महाबलः)

• mahā-balaḥ: the mighty one
• mahā-balaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (सः/वीरभद्रः)

• nivāritaḥ: was restrained/stopped
• nivāritaḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-√vṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मणि—‘was restrained’

• kumāreṇa: by Kumāra (Skanda)
• kumāreṇa: Kartr-karana (कर्तृ-करण/Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kumāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• mā: do not
• mā: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: mā (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (prohibitive particle)

• avadhīḥ: (you) should kill/strike
• avadhīḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava-√dhā/√dhi? (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist/Imperative-prohibitive sense with mā), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; ‘अवधीः’ = ‘you killed/strike’ (here: ‘do not kill’)

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• mahā-mate: O great-minded one
• mahā-mate: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + mati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating; direct speech attributed to Kumāra (Skanda/Kārttikeya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (Kedāranātha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vīrabhadra poised to strike with trident; Kumāra steps forward, hand raised in a stopping gesture, commanding ‘Do not kill’; tension frozen between wrath and restraint, with celestial witnesses above.

Characters & Entities

• Kumāra (Skanda/Kārttikeya)
• Vīrabhadra
• Triśūla (Trident)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True strength includes restraint; even in righteous conflict, dharma governs the use of power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra’s sacred setting underlies the chapter, but the verse itself is a moral turning-point in the battle narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.