Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

बलदेवं ततः प्राप्ता रथमार्गानुगामिनम् । तेषां युद्धं बलस्यासीत्सर्वलोकक्षयंकरम्

Transliteration

baladevaṃ tataḥ prāptā rathamārgānugāminam | teṣāṃ yuddhaṃ balasyāsītsarvalokakṣayaṃkaram

Translation

បន្ទាប់មក ពួកគេបានទៅជួប ព្រះបលទេវៈ ដែលកំពុងតាមដានផ្លូវរទេះ។ សង្គ្រាមដែលកើតឡើងជាមួយ ព្រះបលៈ នោះគួរឱ្យភ័យខ្លាច ដូចជាអាចបំផ្លាញលោកទាំងអស់។

Word by Word

• बलदेवम्: Baladeva (Balarāma)
• बलदेवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बलदेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास: ‘बल’ + ‘देव’ (Balarāma)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; काल/क्रमवाचक (then/thereafter)

• प्राप्ताः: having reached, came to
• प्राप्ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; √आप् with उपसर्ग ‘प्र’

• रथमार्गानुगामिनम्: following the chariot-road
• रथमार्गानुगामिनम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रथमार्ग + अनु-गामिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘रथमार्गम् अनुगच्छति’ (one who follows the chariot-road); विशेषण (qualifying ‘बलदेवम्’)

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

• युद्धम्: battle
• युद्धम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• बलस्य: of Bala (Baladeva)
• बलस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• आसीत्: was
• आसीत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; √अस्

• सर्वलोकक्षयंकरम्: causing destruction of all worlds
• सर्वलोकक्षयंकरम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्वलोक + क्षय-कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘सर्वलोकानां क्षयम् करोति’ (causing destruction of all worlds); विशेषण (qualifying ‘युद्धम्’)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced: Āvantya-khaṇḍa narrative style)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: rājan (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Baladeva stands on/near the chariot-track as the dānavas converge; the clash erupts with a sense of cosmic dread—sky darkening, weapons flashing, earth trembling.

Characters & Entities

• Baladeva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unrestrained violence, even when heroic, is portrayed as world-threatening; dharma requires that power be governed by restraint and right purpose.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is the Revā-khaṇḍa (Narmadā region), preparing the narrative to connect martial events with the sanctity of Narmadā-tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is a narrative description of the battle’s intensity.