Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

खड्गेन ताडयामास दानवः प्रहसन्रणे । देवेनाथस्मृतं चास्त्रं कौच्छेराख्यं महाहवे

Transliteration

khaḍgena tāḍayāmāsa dānavaḥ prahasanraṇe | devenāthasmṛtaṃ cāstraṃ kauccherākhyaṃ mahāhave

Translation

യുദ്ധത്തിൽ ചിരിച്ചുകൊണ്ട് ദാനവൻ ഖഡ്ഗംകൊണ്ട് പ്രഹരിച്ചു; അപ്പോൾ മഹാഹവത്തിൽ ദേവൻ ‘കൗച്ചേര’ എന്ന അസ്ത്രം സ്മരിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• खड्गेन: with a sword
• खड्गेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: खड्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• ताडयामास: struck, beat
• ताडयामास: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तड्/ताड् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; देशीय-प्रयोगः ‘-आमास’ (परफेक्ट-पर्याय) — Perfect, 3rd singular, active

• दानवः: the demon
• दानवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• प्रहसन्: laughing
• प्रहसन्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र + हस् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (प्रहसत्), प्रथमा एकवचन पुंलिङ्ग; क्रियाविशेषणभावेन — Present participle used adverbially

• रणे: in battle
• रणे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Locative, Singular

• देवेन: by the god
• देवेन: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, आरम्भ/अनन्तरवाचक — Then/now particle

• स्मृतम्: remembered
• स्मृतम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘अस्त्रम्’ इति विशेषणम् — Past participle, neuter sg.

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय — Conjunction

• अस्त्रम्: weapon, missile
• अस्त्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular

• कौच्छेराख्यम्: named ‘Kaucchera’
• कौच्छेराख्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कौच्छेर + आख्य (प्रातिपदिक); आख्य = √ख्या (धातु) क्त/प्रातिपदिक
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष): ‘कौच्छेरस्य आख्यं’ — Neuter sg., qualifying ‘अस्त्रम्’

• महाहवे: in the great battle
• महाहवे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाहव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः (कर्मधारय): महत् + आहव (महान् आहवः) — Locative, Singular

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā tīrtha-cycle (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirers/ṛṣis (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The demon, smiling in contempt, swings a sword; the deity remains composed, eyes focused, as a named divine weapon is mentally invoked and begins to blaze into form.

Characters & Entities

• Dānava (Andhaka implied)
• Deva (Śiva implied)
• Kaucchera Astra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Arrogant laughter in violence is short-lived; divine remembrance of higher power (astra) signifies the reassertion of dharma over chaos.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is directly mentioned; the verse is part of the Revā Khaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.