Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

दह्यमानास्तु ते सर्वे शस्त्रैरग्निं त्ववेष्टयन् । दिव्यैरग्न्यर्कसङ्काशैः शतशोऽथ सहस्रशः

Transliteration

dahyamānāstu te sarve śastrairagniṃ tvaveṣṭayan | divyairagnyarkasaṅkāśaiḥ śataśo'tha sahasraśaḥ

Translation

दह्यमानास्तु ते सर्वे शस्त्रैरग्निं त्ववेष्टयन् । दिव्यैरग्न्यर्कसङ्काशैः शतशोऽथ सहस्रशः ॥

Word by Word

• दह्यमानाः: being burned
• दह्यमानाः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दह् (धातु) + य (यक्) + शानच् (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि कृदन्त (यमान/शानच्); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘being burnt’

• तु: however/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (contrast/emphasis)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषणं (ते)

• शस्त्रैः: with weapons
• शस्त्रैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• अग्निम्: fire (Agni)
• अग्निम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphasis)

• अवेष्टयन्: surrounded, encircled
• अवेष्टयन्: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव + वेष्ट् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (imperfect/past); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• दिव्यैः: divine
• दिव्यैः: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; विशेषणं (शस्त्रैः)

• अग्न्यर्कसङ्काशैः: resembling fire and the sun
• अग्न्यर्कसङ्काशैः: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्क (प्रातिपदिक) + सङ्काश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (अग्न्यर्कयोः सङ्काशाः = like fire and sun); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; विशेषणं (शस्त्रैः)

• शतशः: by the hundreds
• शतशः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Quantifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शतशस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/आवृत्तिवाचक (by hundreds)

• अथ: and then
• अथ: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अनन्तरवाचक

• सहस्रशः: by the thousands
• सहस्रशः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Quantifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहस्रशस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/आवृत्तिवाचक (by thousands)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator, likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in Āvantya-khaṇḍa style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā region (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Asuras, scorched, unleash volleys of radiant celestial weapons to encircle Agni—missiles shining like the sun—filling the sky in dense layers.

Characters & Entities

• Agni
• Daityas/Asuras (implied)
• Divine weapons (śastra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ego-driven resistance to divine order multiplies effort but not success; adharma cannot finally overpower divine radiance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā/Narmadā sacred landscape remains the contextual focus, though no single tīrtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is descriptive, emphasizing the intensity of the conflict around the sacred region.