Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

ततस्तेषां महद्युद्धं मिथो जज्ञे सुदारुणम् । नात्मीयं न परं तत्र केनचिज्ज्ञा यते क्वचित्

Transliteration

tatasteṣāṃ mahadyuddhaṃ mitho jajñe sudāruṇam | nātmīyaṃ na paraṃ tatra kenacijjñā yate kvacit

Translation

అప్పుడు వారి మధ్య మహత్తరమైన, అత్యంత భయంకరమైన యుద్ధం చెలరేగింది. అక్కడ ఏ క్షణములోనూ ఎవరు తమవారు, ఎవరు పరవారు అని స్పష్టంగా తెలిసేది కాదు.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereupon
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अपादान/अनन्तरार्थक अव्यय (thereupon/from then)

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (pronoun)

• mahat: great
• mahat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with yuddham)

• yuddham: battle
• yuddham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• mithas: mutually, with each other
• mithas: Viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: mithas (अव्यय)
• Form: परस्परार्थक अव्यय (reciprocal adverb: mutually)

• jajñe: arose, occurred
• jajñe: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jan (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• sudāruṇam: very terrible
• sudāruṇam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + dāruṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with yuddham)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation)

• ātmīyam: one’s own (side/person)
• ātmīyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātmīya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (used substantively: 'one's own')

• na: nor/not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation)

• param: the other (side/person)
• param: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (used substantively: 'the other')

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (locative adverb: there)

• kenacit: by anyone
• kenacit: Karaṇa (Instrument/Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थ (indefinite: by anyone)

• jñāyate: is known/recognized
• jñāyate: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jñā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• kvacit: anywhere
• kvacit: Adhikaraṇa (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kvacit (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/कालवाचक अनिश्चित अव्यय (somewhere/at any time)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sprawling melee: dust clouds, clashing weapons, overlapping bodies; banners torn; faces strained; the viewer cannot tell which side is which.

Characters & Entities

• Devī’s forces (implied)
• Daityas (implied)
• battle (yuddha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When adharma swells into conflict, confusion and suffering follow; clarity is restored only by dharmic, divinely guided order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader chapter belongs to a tīrtha-glorification context, but this verse itself does not specify the site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.