Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

पत्त्यश्वमातंगघटावरूथसहस्रलक्षायुतकोटिभीषणम् । अक्षौहिणीनां शतमाततायिनां छिंद्या न्मूढो घोरकुठारधारया

Transliteration

pattyaśvamātaṃgaghaṭāvarūthasahasralakṣāyutakoṭibhīṣaṇam | akṣauhiṇīnāṃ śatamātatāyināṃ chiṃdyā nmūḍho ghorakuṭhāradhārayā

Translation

Ainda que avançassem cem akṣauhiṇīs de agressores assassinos—terríveis por incontáveis milhares, lakhs, ayutas e crores de infantaria, cavalos, elefantes, carros e tropas encouraçadas—um homem iludido deveria abatê-los com o fio cortante de um machado terrível.

Word by Word

• पत्ति-अश्व-मातङ्ग-घट-अवरूथ-सहस्र-लक्ष-अयुत-कोटि-भीषणम्: terrifying with (countless) infantry, horses, elephants, chariots—thousands, lakhs, ayutas, crores
• पत्ति-अश्व-मातङ्ग-घट-अवरूथ-सहस्र-लक्ष-अयुत-कोटि-भीषणम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पत्ति + अश्व + मातङ्ग + घट + अवरूथ + सहस्र + लक्ष + अयुत + कोटि + भीषण (प्रातिपदिक); पत्त्यश्वमातङ्गघटावरूथसहस्रलक्षायुतकोटिभीषण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd); एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifying implied object)

• अक्षौहिणीनाम्: of armies (akṣauhiṇīs)
• अक्षौहिणीनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्षौहिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th); बहुवचन (Plural)

• शतम्: a hundred
• शतम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd); एकवचन (Singular); संख्यावाचक

• आततायिनाम्: of assailants, aggressors
• आततायिनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आततायिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th); बहुवचन (Plural)

• छिन्द्यात्: should cut, may cut down
• छिन्द्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: छिद् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/संभावना-विधि); प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd); एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपद

• मूढः: the deluded one, fool
• मूढः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूढ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st); एकवचन (Singular)

• घोर-कुठार-धारया: with the edge of a dreadful axe
• घोर-कुठार-धारया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: घोर + कुठार + धारा (प्रातिपदिक); घोरकुठारधारा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd); एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Not explicit in this verse (context not provided); within Brāhma Khaṇḍa, Brahmottara Khaṇḍa—likely a Purāṇic narrator (e.g., Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa) conveying a dharma-judgment.

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast, ordered enemy host with elephants, horses, chariots, and infantry surges forward like a dark tide; in the foreground, a resolute figure raises a gleaming axe whose edge emits a protective arc of light, symbolizing decisive severance of threat and delusion.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It stresses dharma as protection: when faced with ātatāyins (violent aggressors), decisive resistance is presented as a duty rather than weakness or confusion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha or sacred geography is explicitly named in this verse; it reads as a general dharma/royal-ethics statement within the chapter’s broader context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse—there is no direct instruction about snāna, dāna, vrata, or japa; the focus is on conduct (dharma) in the face of aggression.