Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

त्वयापि दानवो देवि देहनिर्गतया तदा । चंडमुंडपुरोगाश्च हंतव्या लोकदुर्जयाः

Transliteration

tvayāpi dānavo devi dehanirgatayā tadā | caṃḍamuṃḍapurogāśca haṃtavyā lokadurjayāḥ

Translation

女神啊，你亦当于彼时自其身中显现，诛灭诸魔众；其首为旃陀与牟陀，乃诸世界所不能胜者。

Word by Word

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tva (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (सर्वनाम), तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि = ‘also’

• dānavaḥ: the demon (Dānava)
• dānavaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• devi: O Goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन

• deha-nirgatayā: by (her) who has come out of the body
• deha-nirgatayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: deha (प्रातिपदिक) + nir-gata (कृदन्त; √gam गतौ) (समास-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; ‘देहात् निर्गता’ इति (पञ्चमी-तत्पुरुष) विशेषणम्

• tadā: then
• tadā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• caṇḍa-muṇḍa-purogāḥ: having Caṇḍa and Muṇḍa in the front (i.e., led by them)
• caṇḍa-muṇḍa-purogāḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + muṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + purogā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन; ‘चण्ड-मुण्डौ पुरोगौ येषाम्’ इति (बहुव्रीह्यर्थे प्रयोगः, परन्तु रूपतः तत्पुरुष-समास-श्रृङ्खला)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• hantavyāḥ: to be slain
• hantavyāḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: han (धातु; हिंसागत्योः) → hantavya (कृदन्त; तव्यत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम् (कर्तव्यता/भाव्यकर्म)

• loka-durjayāḥ: hard to conquer by the world
• loka-durjayāḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक) + durjaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘लोकेन दुर्जयाः’ इति (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa framing)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī is addressed and urged to emerge forth and destroy the demon-host led by Caṇḍa and Muṇḍa—an apocalyptic battlefield moment where the ‘unconquerable’ are about to fall.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Dānava
• Caṇḍa
• Muṇḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When adharma becomes unconquerable by ordinary means, the Divine Mother manifests powerfully to protect the worlds.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific location is named; the verse is mythic-theological, emphasizing Devī’s protective action.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse functions as stuti-style narration of Devī’s duty of loka-rakṣā.