Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

अक्षौहिण्या दलेनैवायुद्ध्यत्कृष्णेन भो द्विजाः । स युध्यमानः कृष्णेन वध्यमानो हतौजसः

Transliteration

akṣauhiṇyā dalenaivāyuddhyatkṛṣṇena bho dvijāḥ | sa yudhyamānaḥ kṛṣṇena vadhyamāno hataujasaḥ

Translation

ਹੇ ਬ੍ਰਾਹਮਣੋ, ਉਹ ਕ੍ਰਿਸ਼ਨ ਨਾਲ ਲੜਿਆ, ਜਿਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੇ ਨਾਲ ਕੇਵਲ ਇੱਕ ਅਕਸ਼ੌਹਿਣੀ ਦੀ ਇਕ ਟੁਕੜੀ ਸੀ। ਕ੍ਰਿਸ਼ਨ ਨਾਲ ਜੂਝਦਿਆਂ ਉਹ ਮਾਰ ਖਾਂਦਾ ਗਿਆ ਅਤੇ ਉਸ ਦੀ ਤਾਕਤ ਟੁੱਟ ਗਈ।

Word by Word

• अक्षौहिण्या: with an akṣauhiṇī (army division)
• अक्षौहिण्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्षौहिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• दलेन: with a troop/force
• दलेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक निपात (particle of emphasis)

• अयुद्ध्यत्: (he) fought
• अयुद्ध्यत्: Kriya (Verbal predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: युध् (धातु) → अयुद्ध्यत् (लङ्, परस्मैपद)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कृष्णेन: with/against Kṛṣṇa
• कृष्णेन: Saha/Pratiyogi (With/against; associative/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/सह), एकवचन

• भो: O!
• भो: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भो (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; संबोधन-निपात (vocative particle)

• द्विजाः: O brāhmaṇas
• द्विजाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/सम्बोधन, बहुवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• युध्यमानः: fighting
• युध्यमानः: Karta-anvayi (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युध् (धातु) → युध्यमान (शानच्-कृदन्त, वर्तमान)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले आत्मनेपदी ‘fighting’

• कृष्णेन: by Kṛṣṇa
• कृष्णेन: Kartr/Agent (Agent in passive sense/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• वध्यमानः: being killed/struck
• वध्यमानः: Karma-anvayi (Object-state/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वध् (धातु) → वध्यमान (शानच्-कृदन्त, कर्मणि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि ‘being slain/being struck’

• हतौजसः: with strength destroyed
• हतौजसः: Karta-anvayi (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हत + ओजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ‘whose vigor is destroyed’ (हतं ओजः यस्य)

Speaker

Śrīprahlāda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas (dvijāḥ)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kṛṣṇa on chariot with a compact force, arrows flashing; Rukmī’s chariot rocked, his aura fading as he is struck; battlefield strewn with broken standards.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇa
• Rukmī
• Akṣauhiṇī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly power collapses before the divine; the Lord’s protection of dharma does not depend on vast armies.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā, as the setting for Kṛṣṇa’s līlā and the later temple-gate tradition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative description of battle and defeat.