Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

ततश्चक्रुरुपायांस्ते विजयाय दिवौकसः । वर्माणि सुविचित्राणि यन्त्राणि परिखास्तथा

Transliteration

tataścakrurupāyāṃste vijayāya divaukasaḥ | varmāṇi suvicitrāṇi yantrāṇi parikhāstathā

Translation

അപ്പോൾ സ്വർഗ്ഗവാസികളായ ദേവന്മാർ വിജയത്തിനായി ഉപായങ്ങൾ ആവിഷ്കരിച്ചു—അത്യന്തം വിചിത്രമായി നിർമ്മിച്ച കവചങ്ങൾ, യുദ്ധയന്ത്രങ്ങൾ, കൂടാതെ പ്രതിരോധത്തിനുള്ള പരിഖകളും ഒരുക്കി।

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — 'then/thereafter'

• चक्रुः: they made, they devised
• चक्रुः: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन — perfect: 'they did/made'

• उपायान्: means, strategies
• उपायान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपाय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), बहुवचन

• ते: they
• ते: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — सर्वनाम

• विजयाय: for victory
• विजयाय: Sampradāna (Purpose/for)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विजय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन

• दिवौकसः: the dwellers in heaven (gods)
• दिवौकसः: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव् + ओकस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — तत्पुरुषः (दिवि ओकः यस्य/ये)

• वर्माणि: armours
• वर्माणि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• सुविचित्राणि: very wondrous, highly varied
• सुविचित्राणि: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु- + विचित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन — विशेषण

• यन्त्राणि: machines, devices
• यन्त्राणि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• परिखाः: moats, trenches
• परिखाः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परिखा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• तथा: and also, likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connective)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/क्रियाविशेषण) — 'also/likewise'

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijasattama (addressed interlocutor)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devas in a celestial workshop and war-camp: artisans forging ornate armor, engineers assembling yantras, and soldiers digging defensive trenches under a sky lit with divine radiance.

Characters & Entities

• Divaukasaḥ (Devas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Righteous effort includes intelligent preparation—dharma is upheld through both devotion and disciplined strategy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not named in this verse; it remains within the Tīrthamāhātmya’s narrative frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse speaks of practical measures (armor, machines, trenches).