Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

तं दृष्ट्वा विस्मिता सा च यावन्मुंचति कर्तिकाम् । तावन्निष्पीडिते कंठे मोक्तुं तस्मिन्न चाशकत्

Transliteration

taṃ dṛṣṭvā vismitā sā ca yāvanmuṃcati kartikām | tāvanniṣpīḍite kaṃṭhe moktuṃ tasminna cāśakat

Translation

Nang makita siya, namangha siya; at hangga’t hindi siya pinakakawalan, habang mahigpit ang kapit sa kanyang leeg, hindi siya nakapangyaring makawala mula sa kanya.

Word by Word

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययीभाव), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया = Absolutive “having seen”

• vismitā: astonished
• vismitā: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vismita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Feminine, Nominative, Singular; कर्तृविशेषण = predicate adjective

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक) = conjunction “and”

• yāvat: as long as/until
• yāvat: Adhikarana (Temporal limit/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (परिमाण/अवधि) = indeclinable “as long as/until”

• muñcati: releases/lets go
• muñcati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √muc (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद = Present, 3rd person, Singular

• kartikām: Kārtikā (name)
• kartikām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kartikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• tāvat: so long/that long
• tāvat: Adhikarana (Temporal extent/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (तावत्-पर्यन्त) = indeclinable “so long/that long”

• niṣpīḍite: when (it was) tightly pressed
• niṣpīḍite: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nis-√pīḍ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त), सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन, नपुंसक/पुं (सप्तमी एकवचन -e) = Past passive participle, Locative, Singular; ‘when (it was) pressed’

• kaṇṭhe: in/on the neck
• kaṇṭhe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaṇṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Masculine, Locative, Singular

• moktum: to release
• moktum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √muc (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्यय (infinitive) = infinitive “to release”

• tasmin: in that situation/then
• tasmin: Adhikarana (Reference/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन = Locative, Singular

• na: not
• na: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय = negation particle

• ca: and/nor
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/अन्वय) = connective “and” (often with na = ‘nor’)

• aśakat: was able
• aśakat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śak (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद = Imperfect, 3rd person, Singular

Speaker

Sūta (continuing narration)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The woman, astonished and terrified, struggles but cannot break free as her throat is held; the moment is frozen in tense stillness.

Characters & Entities

• Barbarīka
• Unnamed terrifying woman

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When dharma is guarded with firmness, disruptive forces lose their power to act.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it continues the narrative of an interruption being controlled.