Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

मुचुकुन्दं समाश्रित्य देवास्ते जयिनोऽभवन् । पुनः पुनर्विकुर्वाणा देवास्ते तारकेण हि

Transliteration

mucukundaṃ samāśritya devāste jayino'bhavan | punaḥ punarvikurvāṇā devāste tārakeṇa hi

Translation

ରାଜା ମୁଚୁକୁନ୍ଦଙ୍କ ଶରଣ ନେଇ ସେ ଦେବମାନେ ବିଜୟୀ ହେଲେ; କିନ୍ତୁ ତାରକଙ୍କ ଦ୍ୱାରା ସେଇ ଦେବମାନେ ପୁନଃପୁନଃ ଅଶାନ୍ତ ହେଲେ।

Word by Word

• मुचुकुन्दम्: Mucukunda
• मुचुकुन्दम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुचुकुन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — masculine accusative singular

• समाश्रित्य: having taken refuge in
• समाश्रित्य: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रि (धातु) → समाश्रित्य (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), सम्-आ-उपसर्ग; ‘having taken refuge in’

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — masculine nominative plural

• ते: those
• ते: Karta (Subject apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — nominative plural (pronoun)

• जयिनः: victorious
• जयिनः: Karta (Subject attribute/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जयिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — masculine nominative plural

• अभवन्: became
• अभवन्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद — imperfect, 3rd person plural

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kāla/Prakāra-adhikaraṇa
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: आवृत्तिवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of repetition)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kāla/Prakāra-adhikaraṇa
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: आवृत्तिवाचक-अव्यय (repetition; paired with previous)

• विकुर्वाणाः: acting / making efforts
• विकुर्वाणाः: Karta (Subject attribute/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) → विकुर्वाण (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ/आन), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — present active participle ‘doing/acting’; वि-उपसर्ग

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — masculine nominative plural

• ते: those
• ते: Karta (Subject apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — nominative plural (pronoun)

• तारकेण: by Tāraka
• तारकेण: Karta (Agent in passive sense/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — masculine instrumental singular

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience/interlocutor (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devas gather behind King Mucukunda like a protective pillar; they surge to victory, but the scene repeats with Tāraka’s counterattacks—waves of battle showing cyclical turmoil.

Characters & Entities

• Mucukunda
• Devas
• Tāraka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even divine powers seek śaraṇāgati (refuge) and must act with wise support; victory without dharmic stability can be shaken again by adharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader context is Kedāra (Kedārakṣetra) in the Kedārakhaṇḍa, though this verse itself focuses on the devas’ crisis rather than a direct tīrtha description.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated in this verse.