Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

मयि तिष्ठति केनापि शस्त्रग्राह्यं न क्षत्रियैः । स्वधर्मशपथो वोऽस्तु मृते ग्राह्यं ततो मयि

Transliteration

mayi tiṣṭhati kenāpi śastragrāhyaṃ na kṣatriyaiḥ | svadharmaśapatho vo'stu mṛte grāhyaṃ tato mayi

Translation

Enquanto eu estiver aqui, nenhum kṣatriya deve empunhar armas contra quem quer que seja. Seja este o vosso juramento segundo o vosso próprio dharma: somente depois de eu ser morto podereis então tomar armas contra mim.

Word by Word

• mayi: in me/on me
• mayi: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); first-person pronoun

• tiṣṭhati: stands/remains
• tiṣṭhati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (लट्/Present), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), Prathama-puruṣa (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• kena: by whom/with what
• kena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter (पुं/नपुंसक), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन); interrogative pronoun

• api: even/also
• api: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात); here: concessive/emphatic 'even' (अपि)

• śastra-grāhyam: seizable/attackable by weapons
• śastra-grāhyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śastra (प्रातिपदिक) + grāhya (√grah + yat/ya, कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular (एकवचन); समास: शस्त्रेण ग्राह्यम् (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध-अव्यय)

• kṣatriyaiḥ: by the kṣatriyas/warriors
• kṣatriyaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣatriya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• svadharma-śapathaḥ: oath of one’s own duty
• svadharma-śapathaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + śapatha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); समास: स्वस्य धर्मः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) + (स्वधर्मस्य शपथः) (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• vaḥ: for you/of you
• vaḥ: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive/Dative (6th/4th-षष्ठी/चतुर्थी), Plural (बहुवचन); enclitic pronoun

• astu: let it be
• astu: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: Loṭ-lakāra (लोट्/Imperative/benedictive sense), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), Prathama-puruṣa (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• mṛte: when dead/after death
• mṛte: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛta (√mṛ + kta, कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); used adverbially: 'when (I am) dead'

• grāhyam: to be seized/attackable
• grāhyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: grāhya (√grah + yat/ya, कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular (एकवचन)

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable adverb (अव्यय-क्रियाविशेषण): 'then/thereafter/from that'

• mayi: in me/on me
• mayi: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Warrior-speaker within the narrative (Bhīma implied); framed by Sūta’s narration

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Guptakṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A commanding figure stands as a living boundary; warriors lower weapons, hands paused mid-draw, as if an invisible dharma-field prevents aggression.

Characters & Entities

• Kṣatriya
• Svadharma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma restrains even warfare: vows and rules of engagement are upheld as sacred obligations.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not directly; the ethical posture is embedded in the Guptakṣetra-centered episode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual; an ethical prescription is given—an oath aligned with svadharma.