Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

तेन धुन्धुर्महादैत्यो निहतो मरुजांगले । धुन्धुमारः स्मृतस्तेन विख्यातो भुवनत्रये

Transliteration

tena dhundhurmahādaityo nihato marujāṃgale | dhundhumāraḥ smṛtastena vikhyāto bhuvanatraye

Translation

അവൻ മരുജംഗലത്തിൽ ധുന്ധു എന്ന മഹാദൈത്യനെ വധിച്ചു; അതുകൊണ്ട് ‘ധുന്ധുമാരൻ’ എന്നു സ്മരിക്കപ്പെടുകയും ത്രിലോകത്തും പ്രസിദ്ധനാകുകയും ചെയ്തു.

Word by Word

• तेन: by him
• तेन: Kartr-karana (Agent in instrumental/कर्तृ-तृतीया)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• धुन्धुः: Dhundhu (demon)
• धुन्धुः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धुन्धु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• महादैत्यः: great demon
• महादैत्यः: Apposition (समाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + दैत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महान् दैत्यः)

• निहतः: was slain
• निहतः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु) + नि (उपसर्ग) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि-भाव (was slain)

• मरुजाङ्गले: in the desert wilderness
• मरुजाङ्गले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरु + जाङ्गल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (मरौ जाङ्गले = 'in the desert-forest')

• धुन्धुमारः: Dhundhumāra
• धुन्धुमारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धुन्धुमार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• स्मृतः: was called/remembered
• स्मृतः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि-भाव (was remembered/called)

• तेन: thereby, because of that
• तेन: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• विख्यातः: became famous
• विख्यातः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ख्या (धातु) + वि (उपसर्ग) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भुवनत्रये: in the three worlds
• भुवनत्रये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भुवन + त्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; द्विगु (त्रयाणि भुवनानि)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In a stark desert landscape, King Kuvalayāśva battles and slays the great demon Dhundhu; the scene ends with the king standing victorious, his epithet ‘Dhundhumāra’ proclaimed as his renown spreads across the worlds.

Characters & Entities

• Dhundhu
• Dhundhumāra
• Maru-jāṅgala (desert wilderness)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma-protecting courage (destroying adharma) becomes a source of lasting fame and spiritual merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate setting is the maru-jāṅgala (desert wilderness), leading into the later glorification of Camatkārapura kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it explains the origin of the epithet ‘Dhundhumāra’.