Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

नददर्शासुरं तत्र महिषं चंडिका तदा । अशरीरा ततो वाणी दुर्गा देवीमभाषत

Transliteration

nadadarśāsuraṃ tatra mahiṣaṃ caṃḍikā tadā | aśarīrā tato vāṇī durgā devīmabhāṣata

Translation

تب چنڈیکا نے وہاں مہیش اسُر کو نہ دیکھا۔ اسی لمحے ایک بے جسم آواز نے دیوی دُرگا سے خطاب کیا۔

Word by Word

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

• ददर्श: saw
• ददर्श: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; अर्थ: अपश्यत् (saw)

• असुरम्: the demon
• असुरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; कर्म (object)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: there)

• महिषम्: Mahisha
• महिषम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महिष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म (object; apposition to असुरम्)

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

• चण्डिका: Caṇḍikā (the fierce goddess)
• चण्डिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चण्डिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तृ (subject)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kala-adhikarana (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb: then)

• अशरीरा: bodiless
• अशरीरा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-शरीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (bodiless; incorporeal)

• ततः: thereupon
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (thereupon)

• वाणी: a voice
• वाणी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तृ (subject)

• दुर्गा: Durga
• दुर्गा: Sambodhana (Address/Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बोधन/नामनिर्देश (name mention; syntactically appositional)

• देवीम्: the goddess (to her)
• देवीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म (addressee as object of speaking)

• अभाषत: spoke
• अभाषत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-√भाष् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग: अभि-; अर्थ: अवदत् (spoke)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator; speaker not explicit in this snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmapuṣkariṇī

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Durgā stands at the lake-bank, scanning the waters; the air shimmers as an unseen voice issues from the sky, indicated by radiating lines or a luminous cloud-form above her.

Characters & Entities

• Caṇḍikā
• Durgā
• Mahīṣa (Mahīṣāsura)
• Aśarīrā Vāṇī (bodiless voice)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

At tīrthas, divine guidance manifests to uphold dharma; when the seeker (or protector) cannot see, revelation directs the next step.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting remains Dharmapuṣkariṇī within Setukhaṇḍa, highlighted through the goddess’s presence and divine voice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse introduces a revelatory voice within the sacred geography narrative.