Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

संख्ये शस्त्रहता ये च निर्विकल्पेन चेतसा । युध्यमाना न ते मर्त्ये जायते मनुजाः पुनः

Transliteration

saṃkhye śastrahatā ye ca nirvikalpena cetasā | yudhyamānā na te martye jāyate manujāḥ punaḥ

Translation

യുദ്ധത്തിൽ അചഞ്ചലചിത്തത്തോടെ പോരാടി ആയുധഹതരായവർ ഈ മർത്ത്യലോകത്തിൽ വീണ്ടും മനുഷ്യജന്മം പ്രാപിക്കുകയില്ല.

Word by Word

• संख्ये: in battle
• संख्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन; locative singular (in battle)

• शस्त्रहता: slain by weapons
• शस्त्रहता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शस्त्रहता (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; शस्त्र + हत (√हन् + क्त))
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; past participle used adjectivally (slain by weapons)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; relative pronoun (who)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय; and

• निर्विकल्पेन: with unwavering
• निर्विकल्पेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्विकल्प (प्रातिपदिक; निर् + विकल्प)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; instrumental singular qualifying चेतसा (with unwavering/undistracted)

• चेतसा: with mind
• चेतसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चेतस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन; instrumental singular (with mind)

• युध्यमानाः: fighting
• युध्यमानाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युध्यमान (कृदन्त; √युध् (धातु) + शानच्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; present participle (fighting)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय; negation (not)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; demonstrative pronoun (they)

• मर्त्ये: in the mortal world
• मर्त्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन; locative singular (in the mortal world/among mortals)

• जायते: is born
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (middle): is born/arises

• मनुजाः: humans
• मनुजाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; nominative plural (men/humans)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरावृत्ति-अव्यय; adverb (again)

Speaker

Narrator/Teacher (contextual; not explicit in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A battlefield moment: a warrior falls while maintaining unwavering composure; subtle aura suggesting elevated gati beyond mortal rebirth.

Characters & Entities

• Battle (saṃkhya/saṃgrāma)
• Weapon-slain (śastrahata)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Inner steadiness at the moment of death is portrayed as spiritually decisive, shaping the soul’s post-mortem trajectory.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is referenced in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it states a doctrinal result about the fate of certain battle-slain persons.