Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

दुःखतांडवदीनोऽभूदण्डसंकीर्णमानसः । मारमारश्च यो देवः कस्तस्मात्परमो भवेत्

Transliteration

duḥkhatāṃḍavadīno'bhūdaṇḍasaṃkīrṇamānasaḥ | māramāraśca yo devaḥ kastasmātparamo bhavet

Translation

Er ist der Herr des leidvollen Tāṇḍava; Sein Geist durchdringt die ganze kosmische Sphäre; und Er ist der Bezwinger Māras. Welche Gottheit könnte über Ihm stehen?

Word by Word

• दुःखताण्डवदीनः: dejected by the painful dance (of suffering)
• दुःखताण्डवदीनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक) + ताण्डव (प्रातिपदिक) + दीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (दुःखताण्डवेन दीनः)

• अभूत्: became / was
• अभूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार (Aorist), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अण्डसंकीर्णमानसः: whose mind was filled with eggs (cosmic ova)
• अण्डसंकीर्णमानसः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + संकीर्ण (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + मानस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (अण्डैः संकीर्णं मानसं यस्य)

• मारमारः: the slayer of Māra (Kāma)
• मारमारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मारा (प्रातिपदिक) + मार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (माराणां मारः = slayer of Māra)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सूचकः (relative pronoun)

• देवः: the god
• देवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कः: who? / what (person)
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम

• तस्मात्: than him / from him
• तस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन

• परमः: greater / superior
• परमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (comparative sense with ablative)

• भवेत्: could be / would be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृङ्-लकार/विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic hymn-scene: Śiva as the lord whose mind pervades the universe; the slaying of Māra (personified delusion/death) implied as a luminous victory over fear and sorrow.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (implied)
• Tāṇḍava
• Māra (Kāma/Death)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva is both cosmic ruler and inner conqueror of desire; devotion to Him supports mastery over suffering and passion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it is a doctrinal praise supporting worship and remembrance.