Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

अंकुशोत्थप्रहारैश्च क्षतकुंभोऽपि भूरिशः । महामात्रनिरुद्धोऽपि न स तस्थौ कथंचन

Transliteration

aṃkuśotthaprahāraiśca kṣatakuṃbho'pi bhūriśaḥ | mahāmātraniruddho'pi na sa tasthau kathaṃcana

Translation

അങ്കുശത്തിന്റെ ആവർത്തിച്ച പ്രഹാരങ്ങളാൽ അവന്റെ കുംഭസ്ഥലങ്ങൾ ഏറെ മുറിവേറ്റു; മഹാമാത്രന്മാർ തടഞ്ഞിട്ടും അവൻ എങ്ങനെയും നിൽക്കാൻ കഴിഞ്ഞില്ല।

Word by Word

• अङ्कुशोत्थप्रहारैः: by blows arising from the goad
• अङ्कुशोत्थप्रहारैः: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṅkuśa-uttha-prahāra (प्रातिपदिक); aṅkuśa (प्रातिपदिक) + uttha (कृदन्त) + prahāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचनम्

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• क्षतकुम्भः: (the elephant) with wounded temples
• क्षतकुम्भः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣata-kumbha (प्रातिपदिक); kṣata (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + kumbha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम्; (गजस्य) कुम्भौ = गण्डौ; तयोः क्षतत्वात्

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle: even/also)

• भूरिशः: greatly/much
• भूरिशः: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhūriśaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: greatly, abundantly)

• महामात्रनिरुद्धः: restrained by the mahāmātras (chief officers)
• महामात्रनिरुद्धः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā-mātra-niruddha (प्रातिपदिक); mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + mātra (प्रातिपदिक) + niruddha (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम्; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) विशेषणम्

• अपि: even though
• अपि: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle: even/also)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• तस्थौ: stood/stayed
• तस्थौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• कथंचन: in any way at all
• कथंचन: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kathaṃcana (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: in any way/at all)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya context; exact speaker not explicit in snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Airāvata’s temples bleed from repeated ankuśa strikes; mahāmātras and attendants tug and restrain, yet the elephant surges forward uncontrollably, driven by panic and pain.

Characters & Entities

• Airāvata (implied by context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When inner agitation rises, even external restraints fail; true steadiness comes from inner discipline aligned with dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it supports the larger māhātmya narrative framework.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.