Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 81

Devanagari script

शस्त्रोद्यतकरं दृष्ट्वा प्रहारेकृतनिश्चयम् । ततस्तं लीलया भूयो मुष्टिना मूर्ध्न्यताडयत्

Transliteration

śastrodyatakaraṃ dṛṣṭvā prahārekṛtaniścayam | tatastaṃ līlayā bhūyo muṣṭinā mūrdhnyatāḍayat

Translation

ആയുധം ഉയർത്തിയ കൈയോടെ പ്രഹരിക്കാൻ നിശ്ചയിച്ചവനായി അവനെ കണ്ടപ്പോൾ, അവൻ ലീലാഭാവത്തിൽ വീണ്ടും മുഷ്ടിയാൽ അവന്റെ തലയിൽ അടിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• śastra-udyata-karam: (him) whose hand was raised with a weapon
• śastra-udyata-karam: Karma (Object qualified)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śastra + udyata + kara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (शस्त्रम् उद्यतं यस्य करः/शस्त्रमुद्यतकरः) — here as adjective to ‘tam’

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु) + ktvā (कृत्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), अर्थे: ‘having seen’

• prahāra-kṛta-niścayam: (him) determined to strike
• prahāra-kṛta-niścayam: Karma (Object qualified)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prahāra + kṛta + niścaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (प्रहारे कृतः निश्चयः यस्य) — adjective to ‘tam’

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (Context/Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), अर्थे: ‘then/thereupon’

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• līlayā: playfully
• līlayā: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: līlā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; करणत्वे (as an adverbial instrumental: ‘playfully’)

• bhūyaḥ: again
• bhūyaḥ: Prakāra (Manner/Frequency)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhūyas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), अर्थे: ‘again/further’

• muṣṭinā: with a fist
• muṣṭinā: Karaṇa (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• mūrdhni: on the head
• mūrdhni: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrdhan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• atāḍayat: struck
• atāḍayat: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√taḍ (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrative voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/Brāhmaṇas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the instant of attack, the defender calmly strikes the assailant’s head with a fist, effortlessly disarming the threat; the weapon arm is halted mid-air, onlookers stunned.

Characters & Entities

• śastra
• muṣṭi
• mūrdhan

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Adharma-driven aggression often collapses quickly; in Purāṇic storytelling, protective force neutralizes harm with decisive restraint.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; the tīrtha context is inherited from the chapter’s māhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.