Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

युद्धं सुतुमुलं ह्यासीद्देवदैत्यसमाकुलम् । रुण्डमुण्डांकितं सर्वं क्षणेन समपद्यत

Transliteration

yuddhaṃ sutumulaṃ hyāsīddevadaityasamākulam | ruṇḍamuṇḍāṃkitaṃ sarvaṃ kṣaṇena samapadyata

Translation

ದೇವ-ದೈತ್ಯರಿಂದ ತುಂಬಿದ್ದ ಆ ಯುದ್ಧವು ಅತ್ಯಂತ ತೂಮುಲವಾಗಿತ್ತು; ಕ್ಷಣಮಾತ್ರದಲ್ಲೇ ಎಲ್ಲವೂ ರುಂಡ-ಮುಂಡಗಳ ಗುರುತುಗಳಿಂದ ಆವರಿತವಾಯಿತು।

Word by Word

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

• सुतुमुलम्: very tumultuous
• सुतुमुलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + तुमुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारयः (अतितुमुलम्)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• आसीत्: was
• आसीत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• देव: of gods
• देव: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural) (समासाङ्ग)

• दैत्य: of demons
• दैत्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural) (समासाङ्ग)

• समाकुलम्: filled/confused with (gods and demons)
• समाकुलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्+आकुल (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्तार्थ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुषः (देव-दैत्यैः समाकुलम्)

• रुण्ड: trunks (headless bodies)
• रुण्ड: Sambandha (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (समासाङ्ग)

• मुण्ड: heads
• मुण्ड: Sambandha (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (समासाङ्ग)

• आङ्कितम्: marked/strewn with (trunks and heads)
• आङ्कितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आङ्क् (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP) ; द्वन्द्व-समासपूर्वपद (रुण्ड-मुण्ड)

• सर्वम्: everything/the whole (field)
• सर्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• क्षणेन: in a moment
• क्षणेन: Kāla-karana (Time as instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• समपद्यत: became/turned into
• समपद्यत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+पद् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Lomaśa (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A chaotic melee where the ground is suddenly strewn with severed heads and headless trunks; the battlefield becomes a grim tapestry of instant destruction.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Daityas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It underscores the impermanence of embodied life and the grave consequences of adharma-driven conflict.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kedāra region is the overarching sacred frame, though this verse itself is not a tīrtha-phalāśruti.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.