Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

कालकालाय कालाय कालातीताय ते नमः । नमोऽविद्यानिहंत्रे ते नमः पापहराय च

Transliteration

kālakālāya kālāya kālātītāya te namaḥ | namo'vidyānihaṃtre te namaḥ pāpaharāya ca

Translation

السجودُ لكَ يا قاتلَ الموت، يا مَن أنتَ الزمانُ ومتجاوزُ الزمان. السجودُ لكَ يا مُبيدَ الجهل، والسجودُ أيضاً لكَ يا مُزيلَ الخطيئة.

Word by Word

• कालकालाय: to the destroyer of Time
• कालकालाय: Sampradana (Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक) + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (कालस्य कालः = ‘time’s time/Death of time’)

• कालाय: to Time
• कालाय: Sampradana (Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• कालातीताय: to the one beyond Time
• कालातीताय: Sampradana (Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक) + अतीत (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (कालम् अतीतः/कालातीतः)

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; चतुर्थी एकवचन (to you)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana/Prayojana (salutation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नमस्कारार्थक-निपात

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana/Prayojana (salutation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नमस्कारार्थक-निपात

• अविद्यानिहंत्रे: to the destroyer of ignorance
• अविद्यानिहंत्रे: Sampradana (Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अविद्या (प्रातिपदिक) + निहन्त्र्/हन् (धातु) → निहन्त्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (अविद्यायाः निहन्ता)

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; चतुर्थी एकवचन

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana/Prayojana (salutation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नमस्कारार्थक-निपात

• पापहराय: to the remover of sin
• पापहराय: Sampradana (Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + हर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (पापं हरति इति)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Śrī Rāma

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu/Setubandha (Rāmeśvara-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Cosmic Śiva as Kāla: a dark-blue, vast presence behind a liṅga; a wheel of time dissolves; a devotee prays for ignorance and sin to be removed; sea-wind suggests Setu.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Kāla (Time)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation comes from the Lord who conquers death and removes ignorance—the root of bondage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu/Rāmeśvara context; the theology is expressed through Śiva’s cosmic epithets while praising the Setu-deity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal rite; the verse functions as japa-worthy praise (nāma-stuti) focusing on avidyā- and pāpa-destruction.