Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

स हत्वा पञ्चभिर्बाणैर्वासुदेवं शिला शितैः । जघान गरुडं क्रुद्धो दशभिर्नतपर्वभिः

Transliteration

sa hatvā pañcabhirbāṇairvāsudevaṃ śilā śitaiḥ | jaghāna garuḍaṃ kruddho daśabhirnataparvabhiḥ

Translation

Il frappa Vāsudeva de cinq flèches aiguës comme la pierre; puis, dans sa fureur, il atteignit Garuḍa de dix flèches aux jointures recourbées, comme barbelées.

Word by Word

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — कर्ता

• hatvā: having struck/killed
• hatvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: han (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययीभाव-रूप कृदन्त (gerund) — ‘having struck/killed’

• pañcabhiḥ: with five
• pañcabhiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañcan (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन — संख्याविशेषणम् (qualifying ‘bāṇaiḥ’)

• bāṇaiḥ: by arrows
• bāṇaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन — करणम्

• vāsudevam: Vāsudeva
• vāsudevam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāsudeva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — कर्म

• śilā-śitaiḥ: stone-sharpened
• śilā-śitaiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śilā (प्रातिपदिक) + śita (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन — विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘bāṇaiḥ’); ‘stone-sharpened’

• jaghāna: he struck, slew
• jaghāna: Kriyā (Verbal action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: han (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — ‘he struck/killed’

• garuḍam: Garuḍa
• garuḍam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: garuḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — कर्म

• kruddhaḥ: angry
• kruddhaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: krudh (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP) ‘kruddha’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘angry’

• daśabhiḥ: with ten
• daśabhiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśan (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन — संख्याविशेषणम् (qualifying implied ‘bāṇaiḥ’)

• nata-parvabhiḥ: having bent joints/knots
• nata-parvabhiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nata (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + parvan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन — विशेषणम् (qualifying implied ‘bāṇaiḥ’); ‘with bent joints/knots’ (of arrows)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kālakhaṃja releases a volley: five razor-stone arrows strike Vāsudeva; then ten barbed arrows hit Garuḍa, who recoils mid-flight, feathers and ornaments trembling.

Characters & Entities

• Kālakhaṃja
• Vāsudeva (Viṣṇu)
• Garuḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Adharma may appear to wound even the divine entourage, yet such blows only set the stage for righteous resolution and restoration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of the chapter’s broader tīrtha-māhātmya narration; the place-name is not present here.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.