Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

सा श्रुत्वा वचनं तेषां देवी कोपसमन्विता । खड्गं व्यापारयामास कंठे तस्यातिपीवरे

Transliteration

sā śrutvā vacanaṃ teṣāṃ devī kopasamanvitā | khaḍgaṃ vyāpārayāmāsa kaṃṭhe tasyātipīvare

Translation

Entendant leurs paroles, la Déesse, saisie d’une juste colère, fit jouer Son épée sur son cou d’une épaisseur excessive.

Word by Word

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Kriya (Gerundial/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त (absolutive/ल्यबन्त), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वक्रिया

• vacanam: speech, words
• vacanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• devī: the goddess
• devī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• kopa-samanvitā: filled with anger
• kopa-samanvitā: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kopa (प्रातिपदिक) + samanvita (प्रातिपदिक; √anv-i धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तृतीया-तत्पुरुष (kopena samanvitā)

• khaḍgam: sword
• khaḍgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: khaḍga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• vyāpārayāmāsa: wielded, set in action
• vyāpārayāmāsa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-ā-√pṛ (धातु) (causative/णिच्)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative: set in motion/used)

• kaṃṭhe: at/on the neck
• kaṃṭhe: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaṃṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• ati-pīvare: very thick/stout
• ati-pīvare: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ati (अव्यय/उपसर्गार्थ) + pīvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; अव्ययीभाव (ati + pīvara) (very stout); (kaṃṭhe) इति विशेषण

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice; likely Sūta-style narration within Tīrthamāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Goddess, eyes blazing with controlled fury, swings a sharp sword into the asura’s massively thick neck; devas watch from above; the lion stands ready, the air charged with finality.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Devas
• Dānava
• Khaḍga (sword)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine wrath here is not cruelty but protection—Shakti acts to safeguard dharma and sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader chapter is a tīrtha-glorification context; this verse narrates the protective deed that supports the site’s māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is explicitly stated.