Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

अथ ते तद्वचः श्रुत्वा वल्गंतोऽसिधनुर्द्धराः । दैतेयबलमुद्दिश्य दुद्रुवुर्वेगमाश्रिताः

Transliteration

atha te tadvacaḥ śrutvā valgaṃto'sidhanurddharāḥ | daiteyabalamuddiśya dudruvurvegamāśritāḥ

Translation

तद्वचः श्रुत्वा ते वीराः खड्गधनुर्धराः। वल्गन्तो दैतेयबलं प्रति वेगेन दुद्रुवुः॥

Word by Word

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक अव्यय (then/now)

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (pronoun)

• tat: that
• tat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with vacaḥ)

• vacaḥ: word/speech
• vacaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• valgaṃtaḥ: leaping/springing about
• valgaṃtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √valg (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• asi-dhanus-dharāḥ: bearers of swords and bows
• asi-dhanus-dharāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asi (प्रातिपदिक) + dhanus (प्रातिपदिक) + dhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (asi + dhanus) तत्पुरुषेण dhara (bearers of sword and bow)

• daiteya-balam: the Daitya army/force
• daiteya-balam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daiteya (प्रातिपदिक) + bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (daiteyānāṃ balam)

• uddiśya: aiming at, targeting
• uddiśya: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud-√diś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• dudruvuḥ: ran
• dudruvuḥ: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dru (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• vegam: speed, force
• vegam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vega (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• āśritāḥ: having taken resort to, possessed of
• āśritāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√śri (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Warriors surge forward, swords raised and bows drawn; bodies leaning into the run; dust and motion lines; the Daitya host ahead like a dark mass.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Daiteya (Daitya) army
• warriors with sword and bow

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Prompt obedience to the divine word becomes effective dharmic action, especially when protecting what is sacred.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is within a Tīrthamāhātmya narrative setting, but this line itself does not name a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is purely narrative (movement into battle).