Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 81

Devanagari script

शस्त्रोद्यतकरं दृष्ट्वा प्रहारेकृतनिश्चयम् । ततस्तं लीलया भूयो मुष्टिना मूर्ध्न्यताडयत्

Transliteration

śastrodyatakaraṃ dṛṣṭvā prahārekṛtaniścayam | tatastaṃ līlayā bhūyo muṣṭinā mūrdhnyatāḍayat

Translation

اسے ہتھیار اٹھائے اور وار کرنے پر پختہ ارادہ کیے دیکھ کر، اس نے پھر نہایت آسانی سے مکے سے اس کے سر پر ضرب لگائی۔

Word by Word

• śastra-udyata-karam: (him) whose hand was raised with a weapon
• śastra-udyata-karam: Karma (Object qualified)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śastra + udyata + kara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (शस्त्रम् उद्यतं यस्य करः/शस्त्रमुद्यतकरः) — here as adjective to ‘tam’

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु) + ktvā (कृत्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), अर्थे: ‘having seen’

• prahāra-kṛta-niścayam: (him) determined to strike
• prahāra-kṛta-niścayam: Karma (Object qualified)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prahāra + kṛta + niścaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (प्रहारे कृतः निश्चयः यस्य) — adjective to ‘tam’

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (Context/Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), अर्थे: ‘then/thereupon’

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

• līlayā: playfully
• līlayā: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: līlā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; करणत्वे (as an adverbial instrumental: ‘playfully’)

• bhūyaḥ: again
• bhūyaḥ: Prakāra (Manner/Frequency)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhūyas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), अर्थे: ‘again/further’

• muṣṭinā: with a fist
• muṣṭinā: Karaṇa (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• mūrdhni: on the head
• mūrdhni: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrdhan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• atāḍayat: struck
• atāḍayat: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√taḍ (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrative voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/Brāhmaṇas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the instant of attack, the defender calmly strikes the assailant’s head with a fist, effortlessly disarming the threat; the weapon arm is halted mid-air, onlookers stunned.

Characters & Entities

• śastra
• muṣṭi
• mūrdhan

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Adharma-driven aggression often collapses quickly; in Purāṇic storytelling, protective force neutralizes harm with decisive restraint.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; the tīrtha context is inherited from the chapter’s māhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.