Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

मुमोच सहसा बाणं पुरस्य वधकाङ्क्षया । यदा त्रीणि समेतानि अन्तरिक्षस्थितानि तु

Transliteration

mumoca sahasā bāṇaṃ purasya vadhakāṅkṣayā | yadā trīṇi sametāni antarikṣasthitāni tu

Translation

แล้วด้วยพระประสงค์จะทำลายเมืองนั้น พระองค์ทรงปล่อยศรโดยฉับพลัน—ในขณะเดียวกันที่ทั้งสาม (นคร) มาบรรจบพร้อมกันและตั้งอยู่กลางนภา

Word by Word

• mumoca: released, let fly
• mumoca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: muc (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• sahasā: suddenly
• sahasā: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sahasā (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• bāṇam: arrow
• bāṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• purasya: of the city
• purasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• vadha-kāṅkṣayā: with the desire to kill
• vadha-kāṅkṣayā: Hetu (Cause/Motive/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vadha (प्रातिपदिक) + kāṅkṣā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः—वधस्य काङ्क्षा (desire for killing)

• yadā: when
• yadā: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• trīṇi: three
• trīṇi: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक विशेषणम्

• sametāni: having come together, assembled
• sametāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-i (धातु) → sameta (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त; विशेषणम् (trīṇi)

• antarikṣa-sthitāni: situated in the sky
• antarikṣa-sthitāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: antarikṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + sthita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—अन्तरिक्षे स्थितानि; विशेषणम् (trīṇi)

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधबोधक (but/indeed)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā tīrtha (general)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the instant the three aerial cities converge, Śiva releases a single arrow with intent to destroy; the sky is charged, alignment like a cosmic lock opening.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Tripura (three cities)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma acts at the right time—when conditions ripen, decisive action becomes both effective and just.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it belongs to the Revā-khaṇḍa narrative stream associated with the Narmadā sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is narrative, describing the climactic release of Śiva’s arrow.