Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

तदा तौ युध्यमानौ च हन्तुकामौ महाबलौ । प्रेक्षका ह्यभवन्सर्वे देवगन्धर्वगुह्यकाः

Transliteration

tadā tau yudhyamānau ca hantukāmau mahābalau | prekṣakā hyabhavansarve devagandharvaguhyakāḥ

Translation

ସେତେବେଳେ ସେଇ ଦୁଇ ମହାବଳୀ ପରସ୍ପରକୁ ବଧ କରିବା ଇଚ୍ଛାରେ ଯୁଦ୍ଧ କରୁଥିଲେ; ଦେବ, ଗନ୍ଧର୍ବ ଓ ଗୁହ୍ୟକ—ସମସ୍ତେ ଯୁଦ୍ଧର ପ୍ରେକ୍ଷକ ହେଲେ।

Word by Word

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

• tau: those two
• tau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), द्विवचन

• yudhyamānau: fighting
• yudhyamānau: Karta (Agentive qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yudh (युध् धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्यय (Present active participle), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, पुंलिङ्ग, द्विवचन; विशेषण (qualifying tau)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

• hantukāmau: desiring to kill
• hantukāmau: Karta (Agentive qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: han (हन् धातु) + kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तुमुन्-अर्थे काम-प्रत्ययान्त (desiderative adjective: 'wishing to kill'); प्रथमा, पुंलिङ्ग, द्विवचन; विशेषण

• mahābalau: very strong
• mahābalau: Karta (Agentive qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास ('mahac ca tat balaṃ'); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; विशेषण

• prekṣakāḥ: spectators
• prekṣakāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prekṣaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Plural)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ (particle: 'indeed/for')

• abhavan: became/were
• abhavan: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• sarve: all
• sarve: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (of prekṣakāḥ)

• devagandharvaguhyakāḥ: gods, Gandharvas, and Guhyakas
• devagandharvaguhyakāḥ: Karta (Apposition to spectators/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + gandharva (प्रातिपदिक) + guhyaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (समाहार/इतरेतर: 'devāś ca gandharvāś ca guhyakāś ca'); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (contextual attribution)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (Kedārakṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A wide scene: two combatants locked in battle below, while tiers of celestial beings—Devas, Gandharvas with instruments, and Guhyakas—hover and watch, forming a living amphitheatre in the sky.

Characters & Entities

• Kumāra (Skanda)
• Tāraka
• Devas
• Gandharvas
• Guhyakas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma’s conflicts are cosmic in scope; the divine community witnesses and supports the restoration of order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra is the overarching section, but this verse focuses on the assembly of celestial witnesses rather than a site description.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.