Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

ततो गतेषु देवेषु ब्रह्मा लोकपितामहः । निशां सस्मार भगवान्स्वां तनुं पूर्वसंभवाम्

Transliteration

tato gateṣu deveṣu brahmā lokapitāmahaḥ | niśāṃ sasmāra bhagavānsvāṃ tanuṃ pūrvasaṃbhavām

Translation

Als die Götter fortgegangen waren, gedachte Brahmā, der Großvater der Welten, der Nacht — seiner eigenen Gestalt, die einst in früherer Zeit entstanden war.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then; thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘ततः’ = thereafter/then

• gateṣu: when (they) had gone; in the departed (state)
• gateṣu: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gam (धातु) → gata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त) ‘गत’ — Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Plural (बहुवचन), Masculine/Neuter (पुं/नपुं) agreeing with ‘देवेषु’

• deveṣu: among the gods
• deveṣu: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Plural (बहुवचन)

• brahmā: Brahmā
• brahmā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• lokapitāmahaḥ: the grandsire of the worlds
• lokapitāmahaḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक) + pitāmaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (लोकस्य पितामहः) ; पुंलिङ्ग, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• niśām: Night (as a personified goddess)
• niśām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niśā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• sasmāra: remembered; called to mind
• sasmāra: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• bhagavān: the Lord; the Blessed one
• bhagavān: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• svām: his own
• svām: Karma (Qualifier of object/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); ‘तनुम्’ विशेषण

• tanum: body; form
• tanum: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tanu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• pūrvasaṃbhavām: born earlier; of prior origin
• pūrvasaṃbhavām: Karma (Qualifier of object/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃbhavā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः (पूर्वा सा सम्भवा यस्याः/या) ; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); ‘तनुम्’ विशेषण

Speaker

Narrator (Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa; deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: After the gods depart, Brahmā sits in solitude; the cosmos is hushed. He inwardly remembers the primordial Night, and the atmosphere darkens into a sacred, velvety stillness.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Devas
• Niśā (Night)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time and its powers are personified in Purāṇic dharma: cosmic order is maintained through divine manifestations and remembrance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; the verse is cosmological and narrative rather than tīrtha-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.