Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

रूपस्य परिवर्तो मे यदा स्यात्पद्मसंभव । तदा मृत्युर्मम भवेदन्यथा त्वमरो ह्यहम्

Transliteration

rūpasya parivarto me yadā syātpadmasaṃbhava | tadā mṛtyurmama bhavedanyathā tvamaro hyaham

Translation

„O Lotosgeborener, nur wenn meine Gestalt sich wandelt, soll der Tod zu mir kommen; andernfalls bin ich wahrlich unsterblich.“

Word by Word

• rūpasya: of (my) form
• rūpasya: Sambandha (genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• parivartaḥ: change/alteration
• parivartaḥ: Karta (subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parivarta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• me: of me/my
• me: Sambandha (possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (genitive) एकवचन; enclitic form

• yadā: when
• yadā: Sambandha (time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (temporal conjunction)

• syāt: should be/occurs
• syāt: Kriya (verbal action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• padma-saṃbhava: O lotus-born (Brahmā)
• padma-saṃbhava: Sambodhana (address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: padma (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पद्मात् सम्भवः)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Sambandha (time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• mṛtyuḥ: death
• mṛtyuḥ: Karta (subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛtyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• mama: of me/my
• mama: Sambandha (possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन

• bhavet: would be
• bhavet: Kriya (verbal action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• anyathā: otherwise
• anyathā: Sambandha (adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anyathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा, एकवचन

• amaraḥ: immortal
• amaraḥ: Karta (predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: amara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'अहम्' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: Sambandha (particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle: emphasis/indeed)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Daitya/Asura (boon-seeker)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brahmā (Padma/ Kamala-sambhava)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The asura, addressing Brahmā, stipulates: only if his form changes will death occur; otherwise he claims deathlessness—an audacious, legalistic demand.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā (Padmasaṃbhava)
• Asura (boon-seeker)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Seeking loopholes to bypass cosmic law reflects adharma; boons gained with cunning become the seed of downfall.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; the verse is part of a mythic boon-request sequence rather than a site-māhātmya passage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it specifies a condition for a boon (death only upon change of form).