Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 76

Devanagari script

दशम्यामवहारोऽभूद्रात्रौ युद्धं तु रक्षसाम् । एकादश्यां तु रामाय रथो मातलिसारथिः

Transliteration

daśamyāmavahāro'bhūdrātrau yuddhaṃ tu rakṣasām | ekādaśyāṃ tu rāmāya ratho mātalisārathiḥ

Translation

ദശമിയിൽ പിന്മാറ്റം ഉണ്ടായി; രാത്രിയിൽ രാക്ഷസന്മാരോടു യുദ്ധം നടന്നു. ഏകാദശിയിൽ രാമനുവേണ്ടി മാതലി സാരഥിയായ രഥം എത്തി.

Word by Word

• दशम्याम्: on the tenth (day)
• दशम्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दशमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• अवहारः: withdrawal, retreat
• अवहारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अवहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अभूत्: occurred / was
• अभूत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदी

• रात्रौ: at night
• रात्रौ: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (वैकल्पिक-रूप: रात्रौ)

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

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विशेषार्थक

• रक्षसाम्: of the rākṣasas
• रक्षसाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्षस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• एकादश्याम्: on the eleventh (day)
• एकादश्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकादशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• तु: then/indeed
• तु: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विशेषार्थक

• रामाय: for Rāma / to Rāma
• रामाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• रथः: chariot
• रथः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मातलि-सारथिः: Mātali as charioteer (Mātali-charioteer)
• मातलि-सारथिः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातलि (प्रातिपदिक) + सारथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मातलेः सारथिः)

Speaker

Unnamed Purāṇic narrator (contextual narrator within Brāhma Khaṇḍa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Daśamī shows a brief withdrawal and regrouping; night battle flickers with torches; on ekādaśī a radiant celestial chariot descends with Mātali as charioteer, approaching Rāma amid astonished armies.

Characters & Entities

• Daśamī
• Ekādaśī
• Rāma
• Mātali
• Rākṣasas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When dharma is upheld, timely divine support arrives; endurance through uncertainty is part of righteous struggle.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named; the emphasis is on time-markers (tithis) and divine intervention in the narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly, though Ekādaśī is mentioned as a date (often sacred for vrata in broader tradition).