Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

अथाभवन्महायुद्धं पुलिन्दानां द्विजोत्तमाः । हैहयाधिपतेर्योधैः सार्धं देवासुरोपमैः

Transliteration

athābhavanmahāyuddhaṃ pulindānāṃ dvijottamāḥ | haihayādhipateryodhaiḥ sārdhaṃ devāsuropamaiḥ

Translation

تب، اے برتر دو بار جنم لینے والو، پُلِندوں اور ہَیہَیَ ادھیپتی کے یودھاؤں کے درمیان ایک عظیم جنگ چھڑ گئی—جن کا پرَاکرم دیوتاؤں اور اسوروں کے مانند تھا۔

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनन्तरार्थक (indeclinable: ‘then/now’)

• अभवत्: there occurred, happened
• अभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect/past); प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• महायुद्धम्: a great battle
• महायुद्धम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + युद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (‘महत् युद्धम्’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पुलिन्दानाम्: of the Pulindas
• पुलिन्दानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुलिन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th case), बहुवचन

• द्विजोत्तमाः: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘द्विजानाम् उत्तमाः’); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे अपि प्रयुज्यते (here likely vocative sense)

• हैहयाधिपतेः: of the lord of the Haihayas
• हैहयाधिपतेः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हैहय + अधिपति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘हैहयानाम् अधिपतिः’); पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• योधैः: with warriors
• योधैः: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• सार्धम्: together with
• सार्धम्: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सहकारी)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सार्धम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक (indeclinable: ‘together with’)

• देवासुरोपमैः: like gods and demons
• देवासुरोपमैः: Sahakari (Accompaniment-qualifier/सहकारीविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: देव + असुर + उपम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (उपमान-तत्पुरुष); पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with योधैः)

Speaker

Deductive attribution: Purāṇic narrator addressing sages/Brāhmaṇas ("dvijottamāḥ")

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijottamāḥ (addressed audience of brahmins)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sprawling battlefield: Pulinda forces clash with Haihaya warriors; dust rises; weapons flash; the narration addresses ‘O best of twice-born’, suggesting a sage-audience witnessing or hearing of the cataclysmic fight.

Characters & Entities

• Pulinda
• Haihaya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic history presents human power as transient; the narrative prepares for the theme that adharma and grave sin lead to loss of strength.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not named in this verse; the surrounding Tīrthamāhātmya frame is associated with Narmadā-region sacred geography in this chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is descriptive of the conflict.