Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

न ममार यदा दैत्यो विष्णुना प्रभविष्णुना । तरसा तं केशवोऽपि पातयामास भूतले

Transliteration

na mamāra yadā daityo viṣṇunā prabhaviṣṇunā | tarasā taṃ keśavo'pi pātayāmāsa bhūtale

Translation

ശക്തിമാനായ വിഷ്ണുവിന്റെ പ്രഭാവത്താലും ആ ദൈത്യൻ മരിക്കാതിരുന്നപ്പോൾ, കേശവൻ ബലത്തോടെ അവനെ ഭൂമിയിൽ വീഴ്ത്തി।

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध-निपात) = negation particle

• mamāra: died
• mamāra: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: mṛ (धातु; मृ)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद = Perfect, 3rd sg

• yadā: when
• yadā: Sambandha (Temporal-link/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक सम्बन्धबोधक) = temporal conjunction 'when'

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

• viṣṇunā: by Viṣṇu
• viṣṇunā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• prabhaviṣṇunā: by the powerful one
• prabhaviṣṇunā: Karana (Instrument-Qualifier/करण-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prabhaviṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक; pra + bhaviṣṇu)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (प्रभुः भविष्णुः/प्रभविष्णुः = mighty/powerful)

• tarasā: with force
• tarasā: Karana (Manner/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: taras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Neuter, Instrumental, Singular; क्रियाविशेषणार्थे (with force)

• tam: him
• tam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Masculine, Accusative, Singular (pronoun)

• keśavaḥ: Keśava
• keśavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: keśava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/अपि-निपात) = particle 'also/even'

• pātayāmāsa: caused to fall / felled
• pātayāmāsa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pat (धातु; पत्)
• Form: णिच्-प्रत्यय (causative) + लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद = causative perfect 3rd sg; 'caused to fall'

• bhūtale: on the ground
• bhūtale: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūtala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Neuter, Locative, Singular

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa to sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Keśava, exerting tremendous force, hurls/strikes Lohāsura down to the ground; the earth trembles, dust rises, yet the daitya’s death does not occur.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Keśava
• Lohāsura

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Some knots of adharma are not cut by strength alone; they demand a deeper divine resolution beyond ordinary means.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of the Dharmāraṇya narrative cycle rather than a direct tirtha-glorification passage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.