Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 109

Devanagari script

अस्त्रं त्रैलोक्यदुर्धर्षं नारसिंहं मुमोच ह । ततः सिंहसस्राणि निश्चेरुर्मंत्रतेजसा

Transliteration

astraṃ trailokyadurdharṣaṃ nārasiṃhaṃ mumoca ha | tataḥ siṃhasasrāṇi niścerurmaṃtratejasā

Translation

അവൻ ത്രൈലോക്യത്തിലും ദുർധർഷമായ നാരസിംഹാസ്ത്രം പ്രയോഗിച്ചു. അപ്പോൾ മന്ത്രതേജസ്സിന്റെ ജ്വലനശക്തിയാൽ ആയിരക്കണക്കിന് സിംഹങ്ങൾ പുറപ്പെട്ടു വന്നു.

Word by Word

• astram: a weapon
• astram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: astra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• trailokya-durdharṣam: invincible in the three worlds
• trailokya-durdharṣam: Karma-anvaya (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक) + durdharṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः — ‘त्रैलोक्ये दुर्धर्षम्’ (hard to assail in the three worlds); विशेषणम् (of astram)

• nārasiṃham: Narasimha(-type)
• nārasiṃham: Karma-anvaya (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक) + siṃha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः — ‘नरसिंहसम्बन्धि’ (pertaining to Narasiṃha); विशेषणम् (of astram)

• mumoca: released, discharged
• mumoca: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: muc (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• ha: indeed
• ha: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ha (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle) — स्मरण/वृत्तान्तसूचक (emphatic/indeed)

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Discourse link/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) — अनन्तरबोधक

• siṃha-sasrāṇi: thousands of lions
• siṃha-sasrāṇi: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: siṃha (प्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; द्विगुसमासः — ‘सहस्रसंख्यकाः सिंहाः’

• niśceruḥ: came out, emerged
• niśceruḥ: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nis-√car (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; उपसर्गः ‘nis-’

• mantra-tejasā: by the power of the mantra
• mantra-tejasā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक) + tejas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; समासः — ‘मन्त्रस्य तेजसा’

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating to the sages (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant warrior releases the Nārasiṃha astra; from the mantra’s blaze erupt countless lions, roaring in unison, filling the sky and battlefield with golden ferocity.

Characters & Entities

• Nārasiṃhāstra
• Narasiṃha
• Mantra
• Lions (Siṃhas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mantra empowered by rightful intent manifests protective force; sacred power is not merely physical but rooted in divine invocation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is referenced; the verse highlights mantra-śakti and divine weaponry.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed, though the verse implicitly affirms mantra’s potency when properly employed.