Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

उत्कृष्टान्नृपतीन्वीरो दंडयित्वा बलाधिकान् । रत्नानि विविधान्याशु जग्राहातिबलस्तदा

Transliteration

utkṛṣṭānnṛpatīnvīro daṃḍayitvā balādhikān | ratnāni vividhānyāśu jagrāhātibalastadā

Translation

ആ മഹാബലവാനായ വീരൻ ബലത്തിൽ മേലായ രാജാക്കളെയും ശിക്ഷിച്ചു. തുടർന്ന് അവൻ വേഗത്തിൽ പലവിധ രത്നങ്ങൾ കൈവശമാക്കി.

Word by Word

• utkṛṣṭān: excellent, eminent
• utkṛṣṭān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: utkṛṣṭa (कृदन्त; √kṛṣ/कृष् ‘to draw, excel’ + ut-; past passive participle used adjectivally)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (masculine), Dvitīyā-vibhakti (Accusative/2nd), Bahuvacana (plural); viśeṣaṇa (adjective) qualifying ‘nṛpatīn’

• nṛpatīn: kings
• nṛpatīn: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā-vibhakti, Bahuvacana

• vīraḥ: the hero
• vīraḥ: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā-vibhakti (Nominative/1st), Ekavacana (singular)

• daṇḍayitvā: having punished
• daṇḍayitvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: daṇḍay (धातु; √daṇḍay/दण्डय् ‘to punish’)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा/ल्यप्), pūrvakāla-kriyā (prior action)

• balādhikān: stronger (in strength)
• balādhikān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: balādhika (प्रातिपदिक; bala + adhika)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa-samāsa (तत्पुरुष): bala + adhika (‘superior in strength’); Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā-vibhakti, Bahuvacana; viśeṣaṇa qualifying ‘nṛpatīn’ (understood)

• ratnāni: gems, jewels
• ratnāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ratna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), Dvitīyā-vibhakti, Bahuvacana

• vividhāni: various
• vividhāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vividha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Dvitīyā-vibhakti, Bahuvacana; viśeṣaṇa qualifying ‘ratnāni’

• āśu: quickly
• āśu: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: āśu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; kriyāviśeṣaṇa (adverb)

• jagrāha: took, seized
• jagrāha: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √grah (धातु; ग्रह् ‘to seize, take’)
• Form: Laṭ? (not); Liṭ-lakāra (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• atibalaḥ: very strong
• atibalaḥ: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: atibala (प्रातिपदिक; ati + bala)
• Form: Karmadhāraya-samāsa (कर्मधारय): ati + bala (‘very strong’); Puṃliṅga, Prathamā-vibhakti, Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa of ‘vīraḥ’

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time adjunct)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; kāla-avyaya (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa Ayodhyāmāhātmya narrative voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ayodhyā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A climactic battlefield or royal encounter: the hero-king confronts and disciplines formidable rival kings; afterward, attendants present trays of diverse jewels—rubies, pearls, emeralds—captured as tribute.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Strength and victory are portrayed as instruments of kingship meant to uphold order (daṇḍa) and support dharmic aims, not mere personal gain.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ayodhyā is the broader sacred setting of this chapter, though this verse itself focuses on the king’s conquest rather than a specific tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; the accumulation of treasures anticipates later sacrificial arrangements (yajña).