Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

हेमसिंहध्वजौ देवौ चन्द्रार्कवमितद्युति । कुंभेन चित्रवर्णेन केतुराश्विनयोरभूत्

Transliteration

hemasiṃhadhvajau devau candrārkavamitadyuti | kuṃbhena citravarṇena keturāśvinayorabhūt

Translation

രണ്ടു ദേവന്മാരുടെ ധ്വജങ്ങളിൽ സ്വർണ്ണസിംഹചിഹ്നം ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു; അവരുടെ ദ്യുതി ചന്ദ്രസൂര്യന്മാരെപ്പോലെ; അശ്വിനീദ്വയത്തിന്റെ കേതു വർണ്ണവൈവിധ്യമുള്ള കുംഭമായിരുന്നു।

Word by Word

• हेमसिंहध्वजौ: two banners with golden lions
• हेमसिंहध्वजौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेम (प्रातिपदिक) + सिंह (प्रातिपदिक) + ध्वज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (हेमस्य सिंहस्य ध्वजौ इति)

• देवौ: two divine (ones)
• देवौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन

• चन्द्रार्कवमितद्युति: having a radiance that outshone the moon and sun
• चन्द्रार्कवमितद्युति: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्क (प्रातिपदिक) + वमित (कृदन्त; √वम् धातु) + द्युति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (चन्द्रार्कयोः वमिता द्युतिः यस्य/ययोः)

• कुम्भेन: by/with (the sign of) a pot
• कुम्भेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुम्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• चित्रवर्णेन: of variegated color
• चित्रवर्णेन: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चित्र (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (चित्रः वर्णः यस्य)

• केतुः: a banner/standard
• केतुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• आश्विनयोः: of the two Aśvins
• आश्विनयोः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्विन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), द्विवचन

• अभूत्: became/was
• अभूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced for Māheśvara Khaṇḍa narration)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A divine battlefield panorama: two deities with standards bearing golden lions, shining like moon and sun; nearby the Aśvin twins’ banner shows a vividly multi-colored kumbha (pitcher), fluttering above chariots amid dust and light.

Characters & Entities

• Aśvinau (Aśvins)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Auspicious emblems (lion, kumbha) communicate divine functions—protection, vitality, and beneficence—within the cosmic order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is mentioned; the focus is symbolic description of divine standards.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.