Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

दण्डं प्रेताधिपो रौद्रं वधाय सुरविद्विषाम् । द्वादशैवं समालोक्य साऽयुधानि द्विजोत्तमाः

Transliteration

daṇḍaṃ pretādhipo raudraṃ vadhāya suravidviṣām | dvādaśaivaṃ samālokya sā'yudhāni dvijottamāḥ

Translation

พระยม ผู้เป็นเจ้าแห่งวิญญาณผู้ล่วงลับ ประทานคทาอันดุดันเพื่อทำลายศัตรูของเหล่าเทวะ ดังนี้แล โอ้ผู้ประเสริฐในหมู่ทวิชะ เมื่ออาวุธทิพย์ทั้งสิบสองปรากฏพร้อมกัน ก็พร้อมเพื่อสังหารปวงศัตรูแห่งเทวะ

Word by Word

• दण्डम्: a staff/rod
• दण्डम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रेताधिपः: lord of the spirits (Yama)
• प्रेताधिपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेत + अधिप (प्रातिपदिक); प्रेताधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (प्रेतानाम् अधिपः)

• रौद्रम्: fierce/terrible
• रौद्रम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रौद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (दण्डम्)

• वधाय: for the slaying
• वधाय: Sampradana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान/प्रयोजन), एकवचन; प्रयोजनार्थ (for killing)

• सुरविद्विषाम्: of the enemies of the gods
• सुरविद्विषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर + विद्विष् (प्रातिपदिक); सुरविद्विष् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (सुरान् द्विषन्ति ये)

• द्वादश: twelve
• द्वादश: Visheshana (Numeral/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादश (संख्याशब्द; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याविशेषण; (अत्र) द्वादश (twelve)

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (thus/in this manner)

• समालोक्य: having observed
• समालोक्य: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आलोक् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having looked/observed)

• स: he
• स: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (he)

• आयुधानि: weapons
• आयुधानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयुध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• द्विजोत्तमाः: best of the twice-born (brahmins)
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक); द्विजोत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (द्विजानाम् उत्तमाः)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration; specific speaker not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvija-uttama (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yama, lord of the departed, solemn and formidable, presents a fierce staff (daṇḍa) to Devī; the gathered divine weapons form a radiant arsenal, signaling imminent destruction of asuric forces.

Characters & Entities

• Yama (Pretādhipa)
• Devas (Suras)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma protects the worlds through divine order—symbolized by Yama’s staff—and through the devas’ coordinated support of the Goddess.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate narrative arc points toward the Vindhya region (developed in the following verses), within the Nāgara-khaṇḍa’s Tīrtha-māhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed in this verse; it focuses on the bestowal of divine weaponry for restoring dharma.