Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

ततो मैत्रसहिः क्रुद्धस्त्यक्त्वा दीक्षाव्रतं नृपः । आदाय सशरं चापं ध्वंसयामास वीक्ष्य तान्

Transliteration

tato maitrasahiḥ kruddhastyaktvā dīkṣāvrataṃ nṛpaḥ | ādāya saśaraṃ cāpaṃ dhvaṃsayāmāsa vīkṣya tān

Translation

അപ്പോൾ ക്രുദ്ധനായ മൈത്രസഹി രാജാവ് ദീക്ഷാവ്രതം ഉപേക്ഷിച്ച്, ശരങ്ങളോടുകൂടിയ ധനുസ്സ് എടുത്ത് അവരെ കണ്ട ഉടൻ സംഹരിക്കാൻ തുടങ്ങി.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: सम्बन्ध (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रमवाचक/हेतुवाचक (indeclinable adverb: then/from that)

• मैत्रसहिः: Maitrasahi (the king)
• मैत्रसहिः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मैत्रसहि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नाम (proper name)

• क्रुद्धः: angry
• क्रुद्धः: कर्ता-विशेषण (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रुध् (धातु) + त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘angry’

• त्यक्त्वा: having abandoned
• त्यक्त्वा: पूर्वकाल-क्रिया (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• दीक्षाव्रतम्: the vow of initiation
• दीक्षाव्रतम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीक्षा + व्रत (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (दीक्षायाः व्रतम्)

• नृपः: the king
• नृपः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• आदाय: having taken up
• आदाय: पूर्वकाल-क्रिया (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ + दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund)

• सशरम्: with arrows
• सशरम्: कर्म-विशेषण (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स + शर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष/बहुव्रीहि-प्रायः ‘with arrows’ (सहितार्थ)

• चापम्: bow
• चापम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ध्वंसयामास: destroyed, began to destroy
• ध्वंसयामास: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्वंसय् (धातु; causative of ध्वंस्)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect/periphrastic perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• वीक्ष्य: having seen
• वीक्ष्य: पूर्वकाल-क्रिया (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वीक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund)

• तान्: them
• तान्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

Speaker

Deductive (narratorial voice within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya; explicit speaker not in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: King Maitrasahi, previously in consecration attire, abruptly casts aside ritual tokens and seizes a bow; his face is fierce with righteous anger as he turns toward the rākṣasas.

Characters & Entities

• Maitrasahi (king)
• Rākṣasas
• Dīkṣā-vrata
• Yajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kṣatriya-dharma prioritizes protecting sacred rites and the innocent; vows are meaningful, yet dharma-preservation in crisis becomes the higher duty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya; the site is not named in this excerpt, but the setting is a tīrtha-linked yajña.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It references dīkṣā-vrata (consecration observance) in the context of emergency interruption for dharma-protection.