Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

रथवर्यान्समारुह्य धृतशस्त्रास्त्रवर्मणः । युद्धार्थं सम्मुखा जग्मुर्गर्जमाना घना इव

Transliteration

rathavaryānsamāruhya dhṛtaśastrāstravarmaṇaḥ | yuddhārthaṃ sammukhā jagmurgarjamānā ghanā iva

Translation

Montant sur d’excellents chars, portant armes, traits et cuirasses, ils s’avancèrent face à face pour la guerre, grondant tels des nuées d’orage.

Word by Word

• ratha-varyān: excellent chariots
• ratha-varyān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ratha (प्रातिपदिक) + varya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समासः ‘वर्याः रथाः’; पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया बहुवचनम् (Acc. pl. masc.)

• samāruhya: having mounted
• samāruhya: Kriya (Non-finite verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√ruh (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यबन्त अव्यय-कृदन्तम् (gerund): ‘समारुह्य’ = having mounted

• dhṛta-śastra-astra-varmaṇaḥ: bearing weapons, missiles, and armor
• dhṛta-śastra-astra-varmaṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhṛta (कृदन्त; √dhṛ) + śastra (प्रातिपदिक) + astra (प्रातिपदिक) + varman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समाहार-द्वन्द्वः ‘शस्त्राणि च अस्त्राणि च वर्म च’ (weapons, missiles, armor) + ‘धृत-’ (held/worn); पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम् (Nom. pl. masc.)

• yuddha-artham: for battle
• yuddha-artham: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuddha (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (द्वितीया-तत्पुरुषः/अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोजनार्थे) ‘युद्धस्य अर्थम्’; नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम् (Acc. sg. neut.; purpose)

• sammukhāḥ: facing (the enemy), in front
• sammukhāḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sammukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम् (Nom. pl. masc.; adjective)

• jagmuḥ: they went
• jagmuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपदम्), प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम् (Perfect, 3rd person plural)

• garjamānāḥ: roaring
• garjamānāḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √garj (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ); पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम् (Present participle; Nom. pl. masc.)

• ghanāḥ: clouds
• ghanāḥ: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ghana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम् (Nom. pl. masc.)

• iva: like
• iva: Upama-dyotaka (Comparator/उपमाद्योतक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमावाचक-निपात) = like/as

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Armored dānavas mount splendid chariots, weapons raised; they surge forward in a roaring mass, likened to dense thunderclouds rolling across the sky.

Characters & Entities

• Chariots (ratha)
• Weapons (śastra/astra)
• Armor (varman)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic imagery emphasizes the magnitude of cosmic struggle, portraying the clash as more than personal rivalry—an upheaval of worlds.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified in this verse; it is a battlefield scene in the broader māhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is descriptive of military mobilization.