Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

सुप्ताथ सुचिरं वाते धिन्नो गर्भो मया तव । कृता एकोनपंचाशद्भागा वज्रेण ते सुताः

Transliteration

suptātha suciraṃ vāte dhinno garbho mayā tava | kṛtā ekonapaṃcāśadbhāgā vajreṇa te sutāḥ

Translation

"നീ ദീർഘനേരം ഉറങ്ങിയപ്പോൾ, വായുരൂപത്തിൽ ഞാൻ നിന്റെ ഗർഭത്തെ ഛേദിച്ചു; വജ്രായുധത്താൽ നിന്റെ പുത്രന്മാരെ ഞാൻ നാൽപ്പത്തൊമ്പത് ഭാഗങ്ങളാക്കി."

Word by Word

• suptā: (you) having slept
• suptā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: svap (स्वप् धातु) + ta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-कृदन्त, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘सुप्ता (त्वम्)’ (having slept)

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अथ अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तर/प्रारम्भार्थक-अव्यय (then/now)

• suciram: for a long time
• suciram: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sucira (सुचिर प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्ययवत् (accusative used adverbially): दीर्घकालम् (for a long time)

• vāte: in the wind
• vāte: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāta (वात प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण-कारक

• dhinnaḥ: split
• dhinnaḥ: Kriya (Result state/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhid (भिद् धातु) + na (क्त/क्तवत्-समकक्ष; here ‘भिन्न’)
• Form: क्त-कृदन्त (भिन्न/विदीर्ण), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण

• garbhaḥ: the embryo
• garbhaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: garbha (गर्भ प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद् सर्वनाम)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; कर्तृ/करण-भाव (by me)

• tava: of you/your
• tava: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (युष्मद् सर्वनाम)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• kṛtāḥ: made
• kṛtāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु) + ta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-कृदन्त, पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (made)

• ekona-paṃcāśat-bhāgāḥ: forty-nine parts
• ekona-paṃcāśat-bhāgāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ekona (एकोन) + paṃcāśat (पञ्चाशत्) + bhāga (भाग)
• Form: द्विगु-समास (संख्यापूर्वपद); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘एकोनपञ्चाशत्’ = 49

• vajreṇa: with the thunderbolt
• vajreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vajra (वज्र प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; करण-कारक

• te: your
• te: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (युष्मद् सर्वनाम)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• sutāḥ: sons
• sutāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suta (सुत प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

Speaker

Indra (Śakra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra admits cutting Diti’s womb in the wind and splitting the sons into forty-nine with the vajra; swirling winds and lightning frame the confession.

Characters & Entities

• Indra
• Diti
• Vajra
• Maruts (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It highlights how actions driven by fear and rivalry can fracture what is whole, turning a single intention into many consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse; it belongs to a mythic narrative explaining divine lineages.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is purely narrative.