Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

शस्त्रं लोहमयं येषां वागेव तत्समन्विताः । पापैः पराभिभूतानां तेषां लोकोत्तरं बलम्

Transliteration

śastraṃ lohamayaṃ yeṣāṃ vāgeva tatsamanvitāḥ | pāpaiḥ parābhibhūtānāṃ teṣāṃ lokottaraṃ balam

Translation

Pour ceux dont l’arme est de fer et dont la parole elle-même est ainsi armée, même assaillis et submergés par les péchés, s’éveille en eux une puissance d’au-delà du monde.

Word by Word

• शस्त्रम्: weapon
• शस्त्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• लोहमयम्: made of iron
• लोहमयम्: Visheshana (Adjectival to शस्त्रम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लोह (प्रातिपदिक) + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (लोहेन मयम्)

• येषाम्: of whom
• येषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• वाक्: speech
• वाक्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• एव: alone / indeed
• एव: Avadharana (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अवधारणार्थक-निपात)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshya (Refers to शस्त्रम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• समन्विताः: endowed (with)
• समन्विताः: Karta (Subject complement/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समन्वित (कृदन्त, सम्+अनु+√इ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक (past passive participle)

• पापैः: by sins
• पापैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• पराभिभूतानाम्: of those overwhelmed
• पराभिभूतानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर-अभि-भूत (कृदन्त, परा+अभि+√भू)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक (past passive participle)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• लोकोत्तरम्: transcendent / beyond the world
• लोकोत्तरम्: Visheshana (Adjectival to बलम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (लोकात् उत्तरम्/अतीतम्)

• बलम्: strength
• बलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified (Tīrthamāhātmya narrative voice; likely a Purāṇic narrator addressing the listener within Nāgarakhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dharmic guardian or sage stands with an iron sword, yet the sword is mirrored by a stream of glowing syllables from his mouth; shadowy figures of ‘sins’ recoil as if struck; a subtle aura indicates otherworldly strength.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Speech carries karmic force; disciplined, truth-aligned words can become a protective strength even amid the pressure of sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse sits within a Tīrthamāhātmya context, but no specific tīrtha-name is stated in the shloka itself.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual (snāna, dāna, japa) is prescribed in this verse; it emphasizes ethical potency, especially of speech.