Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

पुरा देवासुरे जाते संग्रामे भृशदारुणे । दैत्यैर्वरमदोत्सिक्तैर्देवा युधि पराजिताः

Transliteration

purā devāsure jāte saṃgrāme bhṛśadāruṇe | daityairvaramadotsiktairdevā yudhi parājitāḥ

Translation

ପୁରାତନ କାଳରେ ଦେବ ଓ ଅସୁରମାନଙ୍କ ମଧ୍ୟରେ ଅତ୍ୟନ୍ତ ଭୟଙ୍କର ସଙ୍ଗ୍ରାମ ହେଲା; ବରଦାନର ମଦରେ ଉଦ୍ଧତ ଦୈତ୍ୟମାନେ ଯୁଦ୍ଧରେ ଦେବମାନଙ୍କୁ ପରାଜିତ କଲେ।

Word by Word

• पुरा: formerly; once
• पुरा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• देव: among the gods
• देव: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• असुरे: among the asuras
• असुरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• जाते: when (it) had arisen
• जाते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सति-सप्तमी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जन् (धातु) → जात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसक-लिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• संग्रामे: in the battle
• संग्रामे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• भृशदारुणे: very dreadful
• भृशदारुणे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भृश (अव्यय) + दारुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifier)

• दैत्यैः: by the daityas
• दैत्यैः: Karana (Instrument/Agentive means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• वरमदोत्सिक्तैः: inflated with the pride of boons
• वरमदोत्सिक्तैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर + मद + उत्सिक्त (प्रातिपदिक; √सिच्/सिच्? here 'उत्सिक्त' as 'puffed up')
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (हेतु/निमित्त-सम्बन्ध); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषण (qualifier)

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• युधि: in battle
• युधि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युध् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• पराजिताः: defeated
• पराजिताः: Kriya (Result state/क्रियाफल)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पराजि (धातु) → पराजित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); विधेय-विशेषण (predicate adjective)

Speaker

Brahmā (deduced; Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa narrative voice)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Vipra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A fierce battlefield of devas and daityas; daityas empowered by boons push back the devas; dust, banners, and celestial weapons fill the sky, foreshadowing a divine countermeasure (likely Sudarśana).

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Asuras
• Daityas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pride born of power and boons leads to imbalance; the Purāṇas frame such crises to reveal divine refuge and sacred remedies.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse sets the narrative backdrop; the immediate context continues toward Ayodhyā’s western Viṣṇu shrines.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it introduces a mythic episode explaining later sacred significance.