Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

तस्माच्छिवात्परतरं नास्ति किंचिद्द्विजोत्तमाः । यदैवमुच्यते शास्त्रे तत्सर्वं शिवकारणम्

Transliteration

tasmācchivātparataraṃ nāsti kiṃciddvijottamāḥ | yadaivamucyate śāstre tatsarvaṃ śivakāraṇam

Translation

فلذلك، يا أفضلَ ذوي الميلادين، ليس شيءٌ أسمى من شِيفا. وكل ما يُقال هكذا في الشاسترا، فكلّه قائمٌ على شِيفا سببًا وأصلًا.

Word by Word

• tasmāt: than/from that
• tasmāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative) एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• śivāt: than Śiva
• śivāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative) एकवचनम्

• parataram: higher/superior
• parataram: Pradhāna-predicative (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paratara (प्रातिपदिक; comparative)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/Nominative) एकवचनम्; तुलनात्मक-विशेषणम्

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• asti: exists
• asti: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (अस्)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्

• kiṃcit: anything
• kiṃcit: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc) एकवचनम्; अनिश्चित-प्रयोग (indefinite)

• dvija-uttamāḥ: O best of the twice-born
• dvija-uttamāḥ: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे सम्बोधन (Vocative) बहुवचनम्; कर्मधारयः (uttamāḥ dvijāḥ)

• yadā: when
• yadā: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (manner adverb)

• ucyate: is said
• ucyate: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच्)
• Form: लट् (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्

• śāstre: in the scripture
• śāstre: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāstra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे सप्तमी (7th/Locative) एकवचनम्

• tat: that
• tat: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/Nominative) एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम; 'सर्वम्' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• sarvam: all (of it)
• sarvam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/Nominative) एकवचनम्

• śiva-kāraṇam: has Śiva as the cause / is caused by Śiva
• śiva-kāraṇam: Pradhāna-predicative (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/Nominative) एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (śivasya kāraṇam)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the Ṛṣis (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijottamāḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teaching scene: sages (dvijottamas) seated in a Himalayan hermitage near Kedāra, listening as the doctrine ‘none higher than Śiva’ is proclaimed; a subtle cosmic diagram (Śiva as cause) appears in the sky.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Śāstra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It affirms Śiva’s supremacy and presents Śiva as the foundational cause behind scriptural truth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is theological rather than geographical, situated within Kedārakhaṇḍa’s broader māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; the emphasis is doctrinal—Śiva’s unsurpassed status.