Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

अल्पाक्षरो न मंत्रः किं सस्फुरो दैत्य दृश्यते । एवमुक्त्वा दैत्यमुक्तं गृहीत्वा कंदुकं च तम्

Transliteration

alpākṣaro na maṃtraḥ kiṃ sasphuro daitya dṛśyate | evamuktvā daityamuktaṃ gṛhītvā kaṃdukaṃ ca tam

Translation

มนตร์ที่มีอักขระน้อยไร้พลังหรือ? ไฉนอสูรจึงดูสั่นกลัว? ตรัสเช่นนี้แล้ว พระองค์ทรงคว้าอาวุธที่อสูรขว้างมา ราวกับเป็นเพียงลูกบอล

Word by Word

• अल्पाक्षरः: having few syllables
• अल्पाक्षरः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अल्प + अक्षर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय = 'few-syllabled' (अल्पः अक्षरः यस्य)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• मन्त्रः: a mantra
• मन्त्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• किम्: what? / is it?
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रश्न-अव्यय (interrogative particle: 'what?')

• सस्फुरः: trembling/quivering
• सस्फुरः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सस्फुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण of दैत्यः (implicit)

• दैत्य: O demon
• दैत्य: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• दृश्यते: is seen/appears
• दृश्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive sense)

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार-अव्यय (adverb: thus)

• उक्त्वा: having said
• उक्त्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वच् (धातु) → उक्त्वा (क्त्वान्त अव्यय)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• दैत्य: the demon
• दैत्य: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• मुक्तम्: released/freed
• मुक्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुच् (धातु) → मुक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण of दैत्य

• गृहीत्वा: having seized/taken
• गृहीत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु) → गृहीत्वा (क्त्वान्त अव्यय)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• कंदुकम्: the ball
• कंदुकम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कंदुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; refers to the demon

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Tāraka releases a blazing missile; Skanda, smiling, catches it mid-flight as if catching a child’s ball; the asura’s face shows shock and trembling.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Daitya (Tāraka and/or demon forces)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine power rooted in dharma renders hostile forces insignificant; true strength is effortless when aligned with cosmic order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it belongs to the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa’s heroic narration of Skanda.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this shloka; it is a battlefield episode emphasizing divine prowess.