Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

देव्युवाच । एतानस्य सुदुष्टस्य सैनिकान्बलगर्वितान् । सूदयध्वं द्रुतं वाक्यादस्मदीयाद्यथेच्छया

Transliteration

devyuvāca | etānasya suduṣṭasya sainikānbalagarvitān | sūdayadhvaṃ drutaṃ vākyādasmadīyādyathecchayā

Translation

Nữ Thần phán: “Hãy mau chóng đánh hạ bọn binh lính của kẻ cực ác ấy—những kẻ kiêu căng vì sức lực—ngay theo lời truyền của ta, tùy lòng các ngươi trong sự trung thành với ta.”

Word by Word

• devī: the Goddess
• devī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• etān: these
• etān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन (pronoun)

• asya: of this (one)
• asya: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (pronoun)

• suduṣṭasya: of the very wicked (one)
• suduṣṭasya: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + duṣṭa (कृदन्त; √duṣ/दुष्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; विशेषण (intensified: very wicked)

• sainikān: soldiers
• sainikān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sainika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• balagarvitān: proud of (their) strength
• balagarvitān: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bala (प्रातिपदिक) + garvita (कृदन्त; √garv/गर्व्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; तृतीया/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे (balena/ balasya garvitāḥ = 'proud of strength')

• sūdayadhvam: kill/slay
• sūdayadhvam: Kriyā (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sūd (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• drutam: quickly
• drutam: Viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: druta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण अव्ययीभूत (adverbial accusative)

• vākyāt: from (my) word/command
• vākyāt: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vākya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• asmadīyāt: belonging to me, my
• asmadīyāt: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: asmadīya (प्रातिपदिक; asmad + īya)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with vākyāt)

• yathā: as
• yathā: Sambandha (Manner marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: रीत्यर्थक अव्यय (correlative adverb: as/how)

• icchayā: by (your) will/as you wish
• icchayā: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: icchā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

Speaker

Devī (Goddess)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Goddess, radiant and commanding, addresses her warriors: her hand raised in directive gesture; the enemy’s proud soldiers visible in the distance; attendants poised to strike.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• sainikāḥ (soldiers)
• suduṣṭa (wicked leader—implied enemy)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is protected through decisive action under divine guidance; pride rooted in mere power is to be restrained.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse sits within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya frame; the snippet itself focuses on the battle episode rather than naming a specific tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual (snāna, dāna, japa, vrata) is stated in this verse.