Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

पतंत्या स तया वेगाद्राक्षसोऽशनिना यथा । हृतोत्तमांगो ददृशे वातरुग्ण इव द्रुमः

Transliteration

pataṃtyā sa tayā vegādrākṣaso'śaninā yathā | hṛtottamāṃgo dadṛśe vātarugṇa iva drumaḥ

Translation

เมื่อถูกอาวุธที่ตกลงมาอย่างรวดเร็วนั้น รากษสก็ประหนึ่งถูกสายฟ้าฟาด ศีรษะขาดกระเด็น ดุจต้นไม้ที่ถูกลมพายุหักโค่น

Word by Word

• पतन्त्या: by (it) falling
• पतन्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पत् (धातु) → पतन्ती (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; qualifies तया (weapon) ‘while falling’

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• तया: by that (weapon)
• तया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; refers to the weapon

• वेगात्: from/through (its) speed
• वेगात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; ablative of cause ‘due to speed’

• राक्षसः: the rākṣasa
• राक्षसः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अशनिना: by a thunderbolt
• अशनिना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अशनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• यथा: as if, like
• यथा: Comparison (उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमावाचक/यथार्थक (as/like)

• हृतोत्तमाङ्गः: with his head carried off
• हृतोत्तमाङ्गः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हृत (कृदन्त; √हृ) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समास; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘whose head (best limb) has been taken away’

• ददृशे: was seen, appeared
• ददृशे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; ‘appeared/was seen’

• वातरुग्णः: broken by wind
• वातरुग्णः: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वात (प्रातिपदिक) + रुग्ण (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; adjective of द्रुमः

• इव: like
• इव: Upama-marker (उपमा-सूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमावाचक अव्यय

• द्रुमः: a tree
• द्रुमः: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रुम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Setukhaṇḍa frame; speaker not explicit in this snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu-kṣetra (frame)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The rākṣasa is struck mid-fall; head severed, body collapsing like a tree snapped by storm; dust and shock ripple through the battlefield.

Characters & Entities

• Prahasta (implied as the rākṣasa slain)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Adharma, however forceful, is depicted as ultimately cut down by righteous power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setukṣetra/Rāmeśvara remains the overarching pilgrimage frame; no particular spot is named here.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.