Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

अथ तैर्निहतः संख्ये सभृत्यबलवाहनः । हरलब्धवरै रौद्रैः काशिराजः प्रतापवान्

Transliteration

atha tairnihataḥ saṃkhye sabhṛtyabalavāhanaḥ | haralabdhavarai raudraiḥ kāśirājaḥ pratāpavān

Translation

પછી યુદ્ધમાં હર (શિવ) પાસેથી વર પામેલા તે ઉગ્ર યોદ્ધાઓએ સેવકો, સૈન્ય અને વાહનો સહિત પરાક્રમી કાશીરાજને મારી નાખ્યો.

Word by Word

• atha: then
• atha: Discourse connector (अन्वय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (sequencer)

• taiḥ: by them
• taiḥ: Karana (Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• nihataḥ: was slain
• nihataḥ: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-√han (हन् धातु) (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक: भूतकर्मणि क्त)
• Form: कर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अर्थः ‘हतः’ (slain)

• saṃkhye: in battle
• saṃkhye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃkhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• sa-bhṛtya-bala-vāhanaḥ: together with his attendants, forces, and mounts/vehicles
• sa-bhṛtya-bala-vāhanaḥ: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa + bhṛtya + bala + vāhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः ‘भृत्यबलवाहनैः सह’ (with servants, army, and vehicles)

• hara-labdha-varaiḥ: by those who had obtained boons from Hara (Śiva)
• hara-labdha-varaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hara + labdha + vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘हरेण लब्धाः वराः येषाम्’ (having boons obtained from Hara)

• raudraiḥ: fierce/terrible
• raudraiḥ: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: raudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• kāśirājaḥ: the king of Kāśī
• kāśirājaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśirāja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• pratāpavān: mighty/valorous
• pratāpavān: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pratāpa-vat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Kāśirāja falls in combat with his retinue—broken chariot, scattered standards—while fierce boon-endowed foes press forward; the sky feels heavy, as if Hara’s power shadows the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Kāśirāja
• Hara (Śiva)
• Kāla-Yavana (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Power gained through boons can still serve destiny’s unfolding; tragedy in Purāṇic narrative often redirects life toward higher refuge in the Divine.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The fall of the Kāśī king becomes the narrative cause for the widows’ journey toward the sacred Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra highlighted in this chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse emphasizes the role of Śiva-bestowed boons in the conflict.