Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

अक्षौहिण्या दलेनैवायुद्ध्यत्कृष्णेन भो द्विजाः । स युध्यमानः कृष्णेन वध्यमानो हतौजसः

Transliteration

akṣauhiṇyā dalenaivāyuddhyatkṛṣṇena bho dvijāḥ | sa yudhyamānaḥ kṛṣṇena vadhyamāno hataujasaḥ

Translation

噢，婆罗门们！他与克里希纳交战，而克里希纳仅率一支阿克绍希尼军的分队相随。正当他与克里希纳鏖战之时，便被击倒，威力与气势尽皆粉碎。

Word by Word

• अक्षौहिण्या: with an akṣauhiṇī (army division)
• अक्षौहिण्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्षौहिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• दलेन: with a troop/force
• दलेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक निपात (particle of emphasis)

• अयुद्ध्यत्: (he) fought
• अयुद्ध्यत्: Kriya (Verbal predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: युध् (धातु) → अयुद्ध्यत् (लङ्, परस्मैपद)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कृष्णेन: with/against Kṛṣṇa
• कृष्णेन: Saha/Pratiyogi (With/against; associative/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/सह), एकवचन

• भो: O!
• भो: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भो (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; संबोधन-निपात (vocative particle)

• द्विजाः: O brāhmaṇas
• द्विजाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/सम्बोधन, बहुवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• युध्यमानः: fighting
• युध्यमानः: Karta-anvayi (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युध् (धातु) → युध्यमान (शानच्-कृदन्त, वर्तमान)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले आत्मनेपदी ‘fighting’

• कृष्णेन: by Kṛṣṇa
• कृष्णेन: Kartr/Agent (Agent in passive sense/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• वध्यमानः: being killed/struck
• वध्यमानः: Karma-anvayi (Object-state/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वध् (धातु) → वध्यमान (शानच्-कृदन्त, कर्मणि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि ‘being slain/being struck’

• हतौजसः: with strength destroyed
• हतौजसः: Karta-anvayi (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हत + ओजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ‘whose vigor is destroyed’ (हतं ओजः यस्य)

Speaker

Śrīprahlāda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas (dvijāḥ)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kṛṣṇa on chariot with a compact force, arrows flashing; Rukmī’s chariot rocked, his aura fading as he is struck; battlefield strewn with broken standards.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇa
• Rukmī
• Akṣauhiṇī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly power collapses before the divine; the Lord’s protection of dharma does not depend on vast armies.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā, as the setting for Kṛṣṇa’s līlā and the later temple-gate tradition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative description of battle and defeat.