Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 116

Devanagari script

सुरसेनाऽभवद्भीमं पातालोत्तालतालुकम् । सैन्येषु ग्रस्यमानेषु दानवेन बलीयसा

Transliteration

surasenā'bhavadbhīmaṃ pātālottālatālukam | sainyeṣu grasyamāneṣu dānavena balīyasā

Translation

Khi Dānava hùng mạnh hơn nuốt chửng các đạo quân, nỗi kinh hoàng trùm lên quân chư thiên—tựa cõi Pātāla há miệng ngáp, vòm miệng nâng cao, ghê rợn khôn cùng.

Word by Word

• surasenā: the army of the gods
• surasenā: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura + senā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (सुराणां सेना)

• abhavat: became
• abhavat: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• bhīmam: terrible
• bhīmam: Karma (Predicative complement/कर्मपूरक)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhīma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (pātālottālatālukam इति/अवस्था)

• pātālottālatālukam: with palate raised like the netherworld (gaping terribly)
• pātālottālatālukam: Karma (Predicative complement/कर्मपूरक)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pātāla + uttāla + tāluka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (पातालम् इव उत्तालं तालुकं यस्य/पातालोत्ताल-तालुकम्)

• sainyeṣu: among the troops
• sainyeṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sainya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), बहुवचन

• grasyamāneṣu: while being devoured
• grasyamāneṣu: Sati-saptamī (Locative absolute/सति-सप्तमी)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gras (धातु)
• Form: शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकर्मणि कृदन्त (present passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन; ‘being swallowed’ (locative absolute with sainyeṣu)

• dānavena: by the demon
• dānavena: Karaṇa (Agent-instrument in passive context/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• balīyasā: by the mightier (one)
• balīyasā: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: balīyas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; तुलनात्मक-प्रत्यय (comparative) ‘stronger/mightier’

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) narrating to the sages (contextual attribution within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The deva army recoils in terror as the powerful dānava devours ranks; the asura’s mouth appears like a yawning pātāla—an abyss with a raised, dreadful palate.

Characters & Entities

• Deva army (surasenā)
• Dānava
• Pātāla (underworld)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even divine hosts can experience fear; dharma is upheld not by never trembling, but by acting rightly despite trembling.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; ‘Pātāla’ is used as a cosmic metaphor, not a pilgrimage instruction.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.