Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

वधार्थं तस्य विप्रर्षेर्वसिष्ठेन च धीमता । स्तंभिताऽथर्वणैर्मन्त्रैः प्रस्वेदः समजायत

Transliteration

vadhārthaṃ tasya viprarṣervasiṣṭhena ca dhīmatā | staṃbhitā'tharvaṇairmantraiḥ prasvedaḥ samajāyata

Translation

ആ ബ്രഹ്മർഷിയെ വധിക്കുവാൻ ഉദ്ദേശിച്ച ആയുധത്തെ ധീമാനായ വസിഷ്ഠൻ അഥർവണമന്ത്രങ്ങളാൽ സ്തംഭിപ്പിച്ചു; അപ്പോൾ അവനിൽ വിയർപ്പ് ഉദിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• वधार्थम्: for the purpose of killing
• वधार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वध (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषणार्थे), तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः: वधस्य अर्थः = वधार्थम्; purpose/for the sake of killing

• तस्य: of him/that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; genitive of 'that/he'

• विप्रर्षेः: of the brahmin-sage
• विप्रर्षेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक) + ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—विप्रश्चासौ ऋषिश्च; genitive singular

• वसिष्ठेन: by Vasiṣṭha
• वसिष्ठेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; instrumental singular

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• धीमता: by the wise (one)
• धीमता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धीमत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; विशेषणम् वसिष्ठेन—'by the wise'

• स्तंभिता: (was) restrained/checked
• स्तंभिता: Kriya-visheshana (Participial predicate/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्तम्भ् (धातु) → स्तंभित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; 'having been stopped/immobilized' (agrees with प्रस्वेदः?—sense: 'was checked/induced'; syntactically used predicatively)

• अथर्वणैः: Atharvan (Atharva-vedic)
• अथर्वणैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अथर्वण् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् मन्त्रैः—'with Atharvan (Atharva-vedic) [ones]'

• मन्त्रैः: by mantras
• मन्त्रैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; instrumental plural

• प्रस्वेदः: sweat/perspiration
• प्रस्वेदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रस्वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; nominative singular

• समजायत: arose/was produced
• समजायत: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + जन् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; 'arose/was produced'

Speaker

Sūta (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vasiṣṭha, serene and radiant, raises a hand in mantra-recitation; an incoming weapon/force is arrested mid-air; the threatened brahmin-sage is spared; heat and strain show as perspiration beginning to form.

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• Viśvāmitra
• Atharva-mantras
• Śakti (weapon/power)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mantra and tapas (spiritual discipline) protect dharma, transforming violence into a source of sacred benefit.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

The Dhārā tīrtha whose emergence is traced to this miracle involving Vasiṣṭha’s Atharvan mantras.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied power of Atharvan mantras (stambhana/restraint); explicit ritual actions appear in later verses (snāna, darśana).