Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

देव्युवाच । एतानस्य सुदुष्टस्य सैनिकान्बलगर्वितान् । सूदयध्वं द्रुतं वाक्यादस्मदीयाद्यथेच्छया

Transliteration

devyuvāca | etānasya suduṣṭasya sainikānbalagarvitān | sūdayadhvaṃ drutaṃ vākyādasmadīyādyathecchayā

Translation

देवी म्हणाली—“त्या परम दुष्टाच्या बलगर्वाने माजलेल्या या सैनिकांना माझ्या आज्ञेने त्वरित ठार करा; माझ्या निष्ठेने, जसे तुम्हाला योग्य वाटेल तसे करा।”

Word by Word

• devī: the Goddess
• devī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• etān: these
• etān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन (pronoun)

• asya: of this (one)
• asya: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (pronoun)

• suduṣṭasya: of the very wicked (one)
• suduṣṭasya: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + duṣṭa (कृदन्त; √duṣ/दुष्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; विशेषण (intensified: very wicked)

• sainikān: soldiers
• sainikān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sainika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• balagarvitān: proud of (their) strength
• balagarvitān: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bala (प्रातिपदिक) + garvita (कृदन्त; √garv/गर्व्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; तृतीया/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे (balena/ balasya garvitāḥ = 'proud of strength')

• sūdayadhvam: kill/slay
• sūdayadhvam: Kriyā (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sūd (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• drutam: quickly
• drutam: Viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: druta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण अव्ययीभूत (adverbial accusative)

• vākyāt: from (my) word/command
• vākyāt: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vākya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• asmadīyāt: belonging to me, my
• asmadīyāt: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: asmadīya (प्रातिपदिक; asmad + īya)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with vākyāt)

• yathā: as
• yathā: Sambandha (Manner marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: रीत्यर्थक अव्यय (correlative adverb: as/how)

• icchayā: by (your) will/as you wish
• icchayā: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: icchā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

Speaker

Devī (Goddess)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Goddess, radiant and commanding, addresses her warriors: her hand raised in directive gesture; the enemy’s proud soldiers visible in the distance; attendants poised to strike.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• sainikāḥ (soldiers)
• suduṣṭa (wicked leader—implied enemy)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is protected through decisive action under divine guidance; pride rooted in mere power is to be restrained.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse sits within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya frame; the snippet itself focuses on the battle episode rather than naming a specific tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual (snāna, dāna, japa, vrata) is stated in this verse.