Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

किं चायमरिदुर्वारः पाणौ पाशः प्रचेतसः । मन्त्रेण हतवीर्यस्य फणिनो दैन्यमाश्रितः

Transliteration

kiṃ cāyamaridurvāraḥ pāṇau pāśaḥ pracetasaḥ | mantreṇa hatavīryasya phaṇino dainyamāśritaḥ

Translation

ഇതെന്തു വിചിത്രം! പ്രചേതസനായ വരുണന്റെ കൈയിലെ അജയ്യപാശം, മന്ത്രത്താൽ വീര്യം നഷ്ടപ്പെട്ട ഫണിയെപ്പോലെ എങ്ങനെ ദൈന്യാവസ്ഥയെ പ്രാപിച്ചു?

Word by Word

• किम्: what
• किम्: Sambandha (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; interrogative pronoun (what?)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अयम्: this (one)
• अयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun

• अरिदुर्वारः: hard to resist for enemies
• अरिदुर्वारः: Visheshana (Adjective of अयम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अरि (प्रातिपदिक) + दुर्वार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अरिणां दुर्वारः = enemies-hard-to-resist)

• पाणौ: in (his) hand
• पाणौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; locative

• पाशः: noose
• पाशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• प्रचेतसः: of Varuṇa (Pracetas)
• प्रचेतसः: Sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रचेतस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; genitive

• मन्त्रेण: by a mantra
• मन्त्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; instrumental

• हतवीर्यस्य: whose power is destroyed
• हतवीर्यस्य: Visheshana (Qualifier of फणिनः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हत (कृदन्त, √हन्) + वीर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-समासार्थः (हतं वीर्यं यस्य) used as genitive qualifier

• फणिनः: of the serpent
• फणिनः: Sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फणिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; genitive

• दैन्यम्: wretchedness, misery
• दैन्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• आश्रितः: has resorted to
• आश्रितः: Karta (Predicate of अयम्/फणि implied)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रि (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; past passive participle used predicatively

Speaker

Brahmā (continuing)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) region context

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A council-like scene where a deity (speaker) points out Varuṇa’s noose hanging slack and powerless, likened to a serpent subdued by mantra; devas appear unsettled, their emblems dim.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Varuṇa (Pracetas)
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mantra and dharma can govern power; without inner potency and order, even ‘irresistible’ force becomes ineffective.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is identified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Only an analogy to mantra’s power is given; no specific japa or rite is prescribed.