Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

ते ऽथ मातलिना अश्वाः प्रतोदेन समाहताः । उत्पतंत इवाकाशे सत्वं संप्रदुद्रुवुः

Transliteration

te 'tha mātalinā aśvāḥ pratodena samāhatāḥ | utpataṃta ivākāśe satvaṃ saṃpradudruvuḥ

Translation

Alors ces chevaux, frappés par Mātali du fouet, s’élancèrent avec puissance, comme s’ils allaient bondir jusqu’au ciel.

Word by Word

• te: they/those
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनन्तरार्थक (then)

• mātalinā: by Mātali
• mātalinā: Kartr̥-karaṇa/Agent-instrument (Agent expressed in instrumental/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātali (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• aśvāḥ: horses
• aśvāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• pratodena: with a goad/whip
• pratodena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratoda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• samāhatāḥ: struck/urged on
• samāhatāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam + ā + han (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; क्त (struck/urged)

• utpatantaḥ: leaping up
• utpatantaḥ: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ut + pat (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; शतृ (present active participle: leaping up)

• iva: as if
• iva: Upamā (Simile marker/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमावाचक अव्यय (particle of comparison: as if)

• ākāśe: in the sky
• ākāśe: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ākāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• satvam: vigor/strength
• satvam: Karma (Object/extent/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: satva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘strength/vigor’

• saṃpradudruvuḥ: ran forth/surged ahead
• saṃpradudruvuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: saṃ + pra + dru (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya context; exact speaker not explicit in snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mātali lashes the horses; they explode forward with such vigor that they seem to spring into the sky, chariot surging like a storm-wind across the battlefield.

Characters & Entities

• Mātali
• Aśvas (horses)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma requires prompt, energetic effort; when guided rightly, strength becomes swift service to a higher purpose.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.