Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 96

Devanagari script

क्व पास्यस्तीति ब्रूते सा ब्रूहि त्वं सांप्रतं हि मे । कर्णाटक महादुष्ट एहि शीघ्रं हि युध्यताम्

Transliteration

kva pāsyastīti brūte sā brūhi tvaṃ sāṃprataṃ hi me | karṇāṭaka mahāduṣṭa ehi śīghraṃ hi yudhyatām

Translation

ນາງເວົ້າວ່າ “ເຈົ້າຈະໜີໄປໃສ? ບອກເຮົາ—ບອກດຽວນີ້! ໂອ ກັນນາຕະກະ ຜູ້ຊົ່ວຮ້າຍຍິ່ງ, ມາ—ມາໄວໆ ໃຫ້ການຮົບເລີ່ມຂຶ້ນ!”

Word by Word

• क्व: where?
• क्व: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रश्नवाचक (interrogative adverb)

• पास्यसि: will you drink?
• पास्यसि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple future), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, वाक्यपरिसमाप्ति/उद्धरणचिह्न (quotative particle)

• ब्रूते: says
• ब्रूते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• ब्रूहि: tell (me)
• ब्रूहि: Kriya (Command/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (सामान्य-प्रयोग), प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• सांप्रतम्: now, at present
• सांप्रतम्: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सांप्रतम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• हि: indeed, for
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• मे: to me / for me
• मे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th case) एकवचन (genitive) / चतुर्थी (4th case) एकवचन (dative) — प्रसङ्गानुसारं दत्तिः ‘to me’

• कर्णाटक: O Karṇāṭaka
• कर्णाटक: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्णाटक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/8th case), एकवचन

• महादुष्ट: O great villain
• महादुष्ट: Sambodhana (Address epithet/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + दुष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/8th case), एकवचन; कर्मधारय

• एहि: come
• एहि: Kriya (Command/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: इ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• शीघ्रम्: quickly
• शीघ्रम्: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शीघ्रम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

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

• युध्यताम्: let (him/you) fight
• युध्यताम्: Kriya (Injunctive/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: युध् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; आज्ञार्थे ‘let (there) be fighting/let him fight’

Speaker

Devī (Mātaṅgī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Goddess speaks fiercely into the empty air: ‘Where will you flee?’ Her posture is forward, commanding; the battlefield listens as she summons Karṇāṭaka to reappear and fight; tension gathers before the next clash.

Characters & Entities

• Devī (Mātaṅgī)
• Karṇāṭaka (asura/daitya name)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Adharma cannot escape accountability; the Devī calls it out directly and compels the restoration of righteous order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting remains Dharmāraṇya (sacred forest) in the Brahmakhaṇḍa; this verse spotlights the Devī’s protective confrontation rather than a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a direct address challenging the asura to battle.