Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

प्रिये रुद्रेण रौद्रेण छिन्नं चक्रेण मे शिरः । तावत्वत्सिद्धियोगाच्च त्वद्गतेन ममात्मना

Transliteration

priye rudreṇa raudreṇa chinnaṃ cakreṇa me śiraḥ | tāvatvatsiddhiyogācca tvadgatena mamātmanā

Translation

« Bien-aimée, le farouche Rudra trancha ma tête de son disque terrible. Pourtant, par la puissance de ton siddhi-yoga accompli, mon être demeura tourné vers toi et fut maintenu. »

Word by Word

• प्रिये: O beloved
• प्रिये: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन विभक्ति; एकवचन (Feminine, Vocative singular)

• रुद्रेण: by Rudra
• रुद्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine, Instrumental singular)

• रौद्रेण: fierce
• रौद्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रौद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Instrumental singular; qualifying रुद्रेण)

• छिन्नम्: cut off
• छिन्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: छिद् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन (cut off)

• चक्रेण: with a discus
• चक्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (Neuter, Instrumental singular)

• मे: my
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचन (Genitive singular)

• शिरः: head
• शिरः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc singular)

• तावत्: then/at that time
• तावत्: Sambandha (Temporal marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-निपात)
• Form: अव्यय; तावदर्थक (so long/then/at that time)

• वत्सिद्धियोगात्: due to the connection with (your) siddhi/power
• वत्सिद्धियोगात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वत्सिद्धि-योग (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine, Ablative singular); हेत्वर्थ (cause)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (and)

• त्वद्गतेन: by (the self) that had gone into you
• त्वद्गतेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्वद्-गत (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण (Instrumental singular; 'gone to/abiding in you')

• मम: of me/my
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचन (Genitive singular)

• आत्मना: by my self
• आत्मना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine, Instrumental singular)

Speaker

Jālandhara (speaking to Vṛndā)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Vṛndā

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The narrator describes Rudra in fierce form severing his head with a terrible discus; simultaneously, an unseen yogic force from Vṛndā sustains his life and keeps his self oriented toward her.

Characters & Entities

• Vṛndā
• Rudra
• Śiva (Śambhu)
• Discus (cakra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s supremacy is affirmed, while the Purāṇa also acknowledges the potency of austere devotion (siddhi) in shaping events.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it belongs to a larger tīrtha-māhātmya narrative framework.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; ‘siddhi’ implies prior tapas/vow-power but no specific rite is stated here.