Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

विषमेषु शरैर्भिन्नहृदयो दैत्यपुंगवः । आदिष्टवान्महासैन्यनायकानुप्रशासनः

Transliteration

viṣameṣu śarairbhinnahṛdayo daityapuṃgavaḥ | ādiṣṭavānmahāsainyanāyakānupraśāsanaḥ

Translation

Giữa cơn hiểm nạn, vị thủ lĩnh Dānava với trái tim bị mũi tên xuyên thấu vẫn ban mệnh lệnh, điều khiển các tướng lĩnh của đại quân mênh mông.

Word by Word

• विषमेषु: in difficult (situations/places)
• विषमेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विषम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), बहुवचन (loc. pl.)

• शरैः: by arrows
• शरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन (instr. pl.)

• भिन्नहृदयः: with heart pierced
• भिन्नहृदयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भिन्न (कृदन्त-क्त from √भिद्) + हृदय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (nom. sg.; ‘whose heart is pierced’)

• दैत्यपुंगवः: the bull/leader among demons
• दैत्यपुंगवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य (प्रातिपदिक) + पुंगव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तृ (nom. sg.)

• आदिष्टवान्: ordered, commanded
• आदिष्टवान्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ+दिश् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्तवतुँ-प्रत्यय, परस्मैपदी), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भूतकालिक-कर्तरि प्रयोगः (perfective past: ‘having ordered’)

• महासैन्यनायकान्: the commanders of the great army
• महासैन्यनायकान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + सैन्य (प्रातिपदिक) + नायक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), बहुवचन (acc. pl.)

• अनुप्रशासनः: the one giving further directives/discipline
• अनुप्रशासनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनु+प्र+शास् (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भाववाचक/कर्तृवाचक नाम (nom. sg.; ‘one who gives further instructions/discipline’)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, often Skanda → Agastya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A daitya leader, visibly wounded by arrows, grimly issues orders to his generals; behind him, a vast army in disarray tries to reform ranks amid dust and clamor.

Characters & Entities

• Daitya (demon leader, unspecified)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Prideful power persists even in suffering; purāṇic narratives contrast such force with dharma-aligned divine protection.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the textual setting, but this verse is a battlefield transition rather than a direct tīrtha glorification.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.