Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

विषमेषु शरैर्भिन्नहृदयो दैत्यपुंगवः । आदिष्टवान्महासैन्यनायकानुप्रशासनः

Transliteration

viṣameṣu śarairbhinnahṛdayo daityapuṃgavaḥ | ādiṣṭavānmahāsainyanāyakānupraśāsanaḥ

Translation

Dalam saat genting, pemuka Dānava dengan hati ditembusi anak panah tetap mengeluarkan titah, mengarah dan menertibkan para panglima bagi bala tentera yang besar.

Word by Word

• विषमेषु: in difficult (situations/places)
• विषमेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विषम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), बहुवचन (loc. pl.)

• शरैः: by arrows
• शरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन (instr. pl.)

• भिन्नहृदयः: with heart pierced
• भिन्नहृदयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भिन्न (कृदन्त-क्त from √भिद्) + हृदय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (nom. sg.; ‘whose heart is pierced’)

• दैत्यपुंगवः: the bull/leader among demons
• दैत्यपुंगवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य (प्रातिपदिक) + पुंगव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तृ (nom. sg.)

• आदिष्टवान्: ordered, commanded
• आदिष्टवान्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ+दिश् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्तवतुँ-प्रत्यय, परस्मैपदी), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भूतकालिक-कर्तरि प्रयोगः (perfective past: ‘having ordered’)

• महासैन्यनायकान्: the commanders of the great army
• महासैन्यनायकान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + सैन्य (प्रातिपदिक) + नायक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), बहुवचन (acc. pl.)

• अनुप्रशासनः: the one giving further directives/discipline
• अनुप्रशासनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनु+प्र+शास् (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भाववाचक/कर्तृवाचक नाम (nom. sg.; ‘one who gives further instructions/discipline’)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, often Skanda → Agastya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A daitya leader, visibly wounded by arrows, grimly issues orders to his generals; behind him, a vast army in disarray tries to reform ranks amid dust and clamor.

Characters & Entities

• Daitya (demon leader, unspecified)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Prideful power persists even in suffering; purāṇic narratives contrast such force with dharma-aligned divine protection.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the textual setting, but this verse is a battlefield transition rather than a direct tīrtha glorification.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.