Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

महत्कथेयं वैशिष्टी कल्पादस्मात्परं तु या । लोकक्षयकरो घोर आसीत्कालः सुदारुणः

Transliteration

mahatkatheyaṃ vaiśiṣṭī kalpādasmātparaṃ tu yā | lokakṣayakaro ghora āsītkālaḥ sudāruṇaḥ

Translation

এটি এক মহান ও বিশেষ কাহিনি, যা এই কল্পের পরবর্তী এক কল্পের সঙ্গে সম্পর্কিত। তখন এক ভয়ংকর, অতিশয় দারুণ কাল উপস্থিত হয়েছিল, যা লোকসমূহের বিনাশ ঘটাত।

Word by Word

• महत्: great
• महत्: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण (of ‘kathā’)

• कथा: story
• कथा: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• इयम्: this
• इयम्: कर्ता (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (apposition)

• वैशिष्टी: (is) exceptional, distinguished
• वैशिष्टी: विशेषणार्थ-नाम (Predicate noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैशिष्ट्य (प्रातिपदिक; भाववाचक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘विशेषता/उत्कर्ष’

• कल्पात्: from the kalpa
• कल्पात्: अपादान (Ablative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन

• अस्मात्: from this
• अस्मात्: अपादान (Ablative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• परम्: after, beyond
• परम्: काल/सम्बन्ध (Adverbial complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् ‘beyond/after’

• तु: indeed, but
• तु: निपात
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• या: which
• या: कर्ता (Relative subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun) referring to ‘kathā’

• लोकक्षयकरः: causing destruction of the worlds
• लोकक्षयकरः: विशेषण (Qualifier of ‘kālaḥ’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लोक + क्षय + कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘लोकस्य क्षयः’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष + ‘कर’ (maker)

• घोरः: terrible
• घोरः: विशेषण (Qualifier of ‘kālaḥ’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• आसीत्: was
• आसीत्: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कालः: time
• कालः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• सुदारुणः: very dreadful
• सुदारुणः: विशेषण (Qualifier of ‘kālaḥ’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु- (उपसर्ग/पूर्वपद) + दारुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपपद-समासवत् ‘अत्यन्तं दारुणः’

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sabhā audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A visionary tableau of pralaya: darkened skies, turbulent waters or fiery winds, collapsing worlds; in contrast, the narrator-sage remains steady, holding the thread of tradition.

Characters & Entities

• Kalpa
• Lokakṣaya (world-destruction)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly existence is subject to cyclical dissolution; recognizing pralaya fosters vairāgya (dispassion) and commitment to lasting dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named in this verse; it introduces a cosmic backdrop that will contextualize the Narmadā-region’s sacred significance.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it signals the gravity of the forthcoming account.