Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

श्रुत्वा तमुत्कटं शब्दं राजा त्यक्तशिवार्चनः । निर्ययौ राजभवनान्नगरक्षोभशंकया

Transliteration

śrutvā tamutkaṭaṃ śabdaṃ rājā tyaktaśivārcanaḥ | niryayau rājabhavanānnagarakṣobhaśaṃkayā

Translation

Als der König jenen furchtbaren Laut vernahm, ließ er die Verehrung Śivas fahren und trat aus dem Königspalast hinaus, aus Furcht vor Aufruhr in der Stadt.

Word by Word

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (पूर्वकर्म/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (prior action), अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः

• तम्: that
• तम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• उत्कटम्: terrible, intense
• उत्कटम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्कट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (शब्दम्)

• शब्दम्: sound
• शब्दम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शब्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन

• त्यक्त-शिवार्चनः: one who had abandoned Śiva-worship
• त्यक्त-शिवार्चनः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्यक्त (√त्यज् धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय) + शिव + अर्चन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: तत्पुरुष (कर्मधारय-प्रायः/उपपद-तत्पुरुषः) ‘शिवार्चनं त्यक्तम् यस्य सः’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (राजा)

• निर्ययौ: went out
• निर्ययौ: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + √या (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• राजभवनात्: from the royal palace
• राजभवनात्: Apādāna (Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज + भवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) ‘राज्ञः भवनम्’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (Ablative), एकवचन

• नगरक्षोभशंकया: out of fear of a disturbance in the city
• नगरक्षोभशंकया: Hetu/Kāraṇa (Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नगर + क्षोभ + शंका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) ‘नगरस्य क्षोभः’ + तत्पुरुष ‘क्षोभस्य शंका’; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), एकवचन

Speaker

Śāṇḍilya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king in mid-Śiva-arcana hears a terrifying roar; he rises abruptly, leaving the pūjā incomplete, and rushes out of the palace toward the city gates amid anxious guards.

Characters & Entities

• Śāṇḍilya
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly anxiety can derail sacred observance; abandoning worship mid-rite is portrayed as spiritually risky.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; the verse focuses on conduct during worship rather than pilgrimage geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, one should not abandon Śiva-arcana—especially during Pradoṣa—once it has begun.