Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

य इंद्र कृमिरेव स्यात्कृमिरंद्रो हि जायते । तस्माद्दानात्परतरं नान्यदस्तीह मोचनम्

Transliteration

ya iṃdra kṛmireva syātkṛmiraṃdro hi jāyate | tasmāddānātparataraṃ nānyadastīha mocanam

Translation

حتى إندرا قد يصير دودةً حقيرة، ومن الدودة قد يُولد «سيّدٌ بين الديدان». لذلك فليس في هذا العالم فكاكٌ أسمى من الدّانا (العطاء والصدقة).

Word by Word

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• इन्द्र: O Indra
• इन्द्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• कृमिः: a worm
• कृमिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृमि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण-निपात (emphatic: just/only)

• स्यात्: would be, may become
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• कृमिरन्द्रः: lord of worms
• कृमिरन्द्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृमि + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समास: कृमिणाम् इन्द्रः (lord of worms)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात

• जायते: is born, arises
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोग (ablatival adverb): तस्मात् = 'therefore/from that'

• दानात्: than giving, from charity
• दानात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• परतरम्: greater, superior
• परतरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परतर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तुलनात्मक (comparative)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध-निपात (negation)

• अन्यत्: anything else
• अन्यत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• अस्ति: exists
• अस्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक (locative adverb: here/in this world)

• मोचनम्: release, liberation
• मोचनम्: Karta (Predicate nominative/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), speaking to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇas (vipra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Striking metamorphosis motif: a crowned Indra figure fading into a small worm; beside it, a worm rising to a ‘lord among worms’—a visual of karmic inversion; rishi points to dāna as the remedy.

Characters & Entities

• Indra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly rank is unstable; dāna is praised as a supreme means of inner release and purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching occurs within Kedārakhaṇḍa, associated with Kedāra/Kedarnath’s Śaiva sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna (charity) is upheld as the foremost salvific practice here.