Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

छित्त्वा जघान शस्त्रेण चंडकोपस्य सांबिका । चकर्त वाजिनोऽप्यस्य सारथिं च ध्वजं धनुः

Transliteration

chittvā jaghāna śastreṇa caṃḍakopasya sāṃbikā | cakarta vājino'pyasya sārathiṃ ca dhvajaṃ dhanuḥ

Translation

അവനെ ഛേദിച്ച് സാംബിക ശസ്ത്രംകൊണ്ട് ചണ്ഡകോപനെ പ്രഹരിച്ചു; അവന്റെ കുതിരകളെയും സാരഥിയെയും ധ്വജത്തെയും ധനുസ്സിനെയും കൂടി മുറിച്ചുകളഞ്ഞു।

Word by Word

• छित्त्वा: having cut
• छित्त्वा: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/पूर्वकर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: छिद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), धातु: छिद्, अर्थे: पूर्वक्रिया (having cut)

• जघान: struck/killed
• जघान: Kriya (मुख्यक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• शस्त्रेण: with a weapon
• शस्त्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन

• चंडकोपस्य: of Caṇḍakopa
• चंडकोपस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चण्डकोप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; समास: चण्ड + कोप (कर्मधारय)

• सांबिका: Ambikā (the goddess)
• सांबिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साम्बिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• चकर्त: cut off/broke
• चकर्त: Kriya (मुख्यक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृत् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• वाजिनः: the horses
• वाजिनः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाजिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन (छन्दसि/प्रयोगे रूपसाम्यं); अर्थतः ‘horses’

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-भाव

• अस्य: of him/this (his)
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन (pronoun)

• सारथिम्: the charioteer
• सारथिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सारथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

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

• ध्वजम्: the banner/standard
• ध्वजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ध्वज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• धनुः: the bow
• धनुः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (प्रयोगे प्रथमा/द्वितीया-रूपसाम्यं)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/ Ugraśravas) narrating to the sages (contextual deduction for Brāhma Khaṇḍa narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setukṣetra / Setubandha (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ambikā in battle stance, weapon raised; Caṇḍakopa’s chariot scene: severed horses, fallen charioteer, snapped banner and bow; dust and sparks of combat around the Devī’s lion.

Characters & Entities

• Ambikā (Devī/Durgā)
• Caṇḍakopa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devī’s decisive removal of the asura’s supports (horses, chariot, weapons) teaches that adharma collapses when its instruments are cut off by divine grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu-kṣetra (Setu/Setubandha region) is the implied sacred geography of the Setukhaṇḍa, where dharma is protected and the place’s sanctity is affirmed by divine interventions.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit vrata, dāna, snāna, or japa is stated in this verse; it functions as a māhātmya-style narrative of protection at Setu.