Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

वार्यमाणोऽपि पार्थाद्यैस्तच्छिरश्छेत्तुमुद्ययौ । योगवित्त्वाद्द्रोणमूर्ध्नो ज्योतिरूर्ध्वं दिवं ययौ

Transliteration

vāryamāṇo'pi pārthādyaistacchiraśchettumudyayau | yogavittvāddroṇamūrdhno jyotirūrdhvaṃ divaṃ yayau

Translation

แม้จะถูกห้ามปรามโดยปาร์ถะและคนอื่นๆ เขาก็ยังพยายามตัดศีรษะนั้น แต่เนื่องจากโทรณาเป็นผู้รู้แจ้งในโยคะ แสงสว่างจึงพุ่งขึ้นจากกระหม่อมของเขาและไปสู่สวรรค์

Word by Word

• vāryamāṇaḥ: being restrained
• vāryamāṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vāraya (धातु √वृ/√वारय्) + māna (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि प्रयोगे शानच्/मान (Present passive participle); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘being restrained/forbidden’

• api: even though
• api: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), concessive ‘even/though’

• pārtha-ādyaiḥ: by Arjuna and others
• pārtha-ādyaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārtha (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (पार्थः आदिः येषां ते); पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; instrumental ‘by those beginning with Arjuna’

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘that’ (qualifying ‘head’)

• śiraḥ: head
• śiraḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; object of ‘to cut’

• chettum: to cut
• chettum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: chid (धातु √छिद्)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त infinitive; ‘to cut’

• udyayau: set out/attempted
• udyayau: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud + i (धातु √इ)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘rose up/attempted’

• yoga-vittvāt: because of knowledge of yoga
• yoga-vittvāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yoga (प्रातिपदिक) + vittva (भाव-प्रातिपदिक from √vid ‘to know’)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (योगस्य वित्त्वम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; ablative of cause ‘because of knowing yoga’

• droṇa-mūrdhnaḥ: of Droṇa’s head
• droṇa-mūrdhnaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: droṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + mūrdhan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (द्रोणस्य मूर्धा); पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; ‘of Droṇa’s head’

• jyotiḥ: a light
• jyotiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jyotis (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; subject ‘light’

• ūrdhvam: upwards
• ūrdhvam: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण-अर्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ūrdhva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) ‘upwards’

• divam: to heaven
• divam: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: div (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; destination ‘to heaven’

• yayau: went
• yayau: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु √या)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘went’

Speaker

Deductive (narrative voice)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On a dust-filled battlefield, warriors restrain an enraged fighter; from Droṇa’s crown a column of luminous tejas rises straight upward toward the heavens, contrasting gore and transcendence.

Characters & Entities

• Droṇācārya
• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• heaven (diva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Yogic attainment is depicted as granting a luminous, upward passage at death—suggesting spiritual sovereignty beyond battlefield brutality.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tirtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates a yogic sign (jyotiḥ rising) rather than prescribing practice.