Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 75

Devanagari script

अनुभूयेह दुःखानि संसारे भृशदारुणे । मनो यदा वियुज्येत तदा ध्येयो महेश्वरः

Transliteration

anubhūyeha duḥkhāni saṃsāre bhṛśadāruṇe | mano yadā viyujyeta tadā dhyeyo maheśvaraḥ

Translation

Nachdem man hier die Leiden der Welt erfahren hat, in der überaus grausamen Saṃsāra, wenn der Geist sich löst, dann ist Maheśvara zu meditieren.

Word by Word

• अनुभूय: having experienced
• अनुभूय: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु + भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त (absolutive/gerund), ‘having experienced’

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

• दुःखानि: sufferings
• दुःखानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• संसारे: in saṃsāra
• संसारे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संसार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• भृश-दारुणे: very dreadful
• भृश-दारुणे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भृश (अव्यय) + दारुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (intensified adjective): ‘exceedingly dreadful’; विशेषण (of ‘saṃsāre’)

• मनः: the mind
• मनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• यदा: when
• यदा: Sambandha (Temporal connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक (temporal adverb: when)

• वियुज्येत: should separate (from the body)
• वियुज्येत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + युज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; अर्थः—वियुक्तं भवेत् (should become separated)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक (then)

• ध्येयः: is to be meditated upon
• ध्येयः: Vidhi (Injunctional predicate/विधि)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ध्येय (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; ध्यै धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicative): ‘to be meditated upon’

• महेश्वरः: Mahēśvara (Śiva)
• महेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महā + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय: ‘great lord’

Speaker

Śiva-yogin (teacher/guru speaking to the queen)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A seeker sits amid symbols of worldly sorrow—broken garlands, withered leaves, passing crowds—then turns inward; Maheśvara appears as a tranquil yogin in the heart-lotus.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly suffering can mature into detachment; in that detachment, meditation on Śiva becomes the liberating focus.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named; the verse is a general dharma teaching on saṃsāra, vairāgya, and Śiva-dhyāna.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dhyāna (meditation) on Maheśvara is explicitly prescribed.