Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 116
Devanagari script
सुरसेनाऽभवद्भीमं पातालोत्तालतालुकम् । सैन्येषु ग्रस्यमानेषु दानवेन बलीयसा
Transliteration
surasenā'bhavadbhīmaṃ pātālottālatālukam | sainyeṣu grasyamāneṣu dānavena balīyasā
Translation
बलवान दानव सैन्याला गिळू लागल्यावर देवसेनेवर भीषण भय पसरला; त्याचे मुख उघड्या पाताळासारखे, वर उचललेल्या तालूसह अत्यंत दारुण दिसत होते।
Word by Word
surasenāthe army of the gods
surasenā:
Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootsura + senā (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (सुराणां सेना)
abhavatbecame
abhavat:
Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootbhū (धातु)
Formलङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद
bhīmamterrible
bhīmam:
Karma (Predicative complement/कर्मपूरक)
TypeAdjective
Rootbhīma (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (pātālottālatālukam इति/अवस्था)
pātālottālatālukamwith palate raised like the netherworld (gaping terribly)
pātālottālatālukam:
Karma (Predicative complement/कर्मपूरक)
TypeAdjective
Rootpātāla + uttāla + tāluka (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (पातालम् इव उत्तालं तालुकं यस्य/पातालोत्ताल-तालुकम्)
sainyeṣuamong the troops
sainyeṣu:
Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootsainya (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), बहुवचन
grasyamāneṣuwhile being devoured
grasyamāneṣu:
Sati-saptamī (Locative absolute/सति-सप्तमी)
TypeVerb
Rootgras (धातु)
Formशानच्-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकर्मणि कृदन्त (present passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन; ‘being swallowed’ (locative absolute with sainyeṣu)
dānavenaby the demon
dānavena:
Karaṇa (Agent-instrument in passive context/करण)
TypeNoun
Rootdānava (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन
balīyasāby the mightier (one)
balīyasā:
Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
TypeAdjective
Rootbalīyas (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; तुलनात्मक-प्रत्यय (comparative) ‘stronger/mightier’
Speaker
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) narrating to the sages (contextual attribution within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa)
Visual Art Cues
Scene: The deva army recoils in terror as the powerful dānava devours ranks; the asura’s mouth appears like a yawning pātāla—an abyss with a raised, dreadful palate.
Characters & Entities
D
Deva army (surasenā)D
DānavaP
Pātāla (underworld)FAQs
Even divine hosts can experience fear; dharma is upheld not by never trembling, but by acting rightly despite trembling.
None; ‘Pātāla’ is used as a cosmic metaphor, not a pilgrimage instruction.
None.