Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

तदा शिवोऽपि विश्वात्मा पंचबाणेन मोहितः । महाभूतेन भूतेशस्त्वन्येषां चैव का कथा

Transliteration

tadā śivo'pi viśvātmā paṃcabāṇena mohitaḥ | mahābhūtena bhūteśastvanyeṣāṃ caiva kā kathā

Translation

Da wurde selbst Śiva—die Seele des Universums—von den Fünf Pfeilen betört. Wenn der Herr der Wesen von jener gewaltigen Macht überwältigt wird, was ist dann erst von anderen zu sagen?

Word by Word

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time adjunct/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय

• śivaḥ: Śiva
• śivaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• api: even/also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात

• viśvātmā: the soul of the universe
• viśvātmā: Apposition (Sāmānādhikaraṇya/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśva-ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समास: विश्व + आत्मन् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारयार्थ: ‘विश्वस्य आत्मा’/‘विश्वात्मा’)

• paṃcabāṇena: by the five arrows
• paṃcabāṇena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paṃca-bāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास: पञ्च + बाण

• mohitaḥ: bewildered; deluded
• mohitaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: muh (धातु) + क्त (भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• mahābhūtena: by the great being/power
• mahābhūtena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-bhūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (प्रयोगे तृतीया), तृतीया (3), एकवचन; कर्मधारय: महत् + भूत

• bhūteśaḥ: Lord of beings
• bhūteśaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta-īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समास: भूत + ईश (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘भूतानाम् ईशः’)

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-निपात (but/indeed)

• anyeṣām: of others
• anyeṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात

• kā: what
• kā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• kathā: talk; question; possibility
• kathā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kathā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa) (contextual)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra kṣetra (frame)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva, the cosmic Self, momentarily enchanted as Kāma’s five flower-arrows strike—an awe-filled paradox: the Lord of beings touched by the force that sways all.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Viśvātmā
• Pañcabāṇa
• Kāma
• Bhūteśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic teaching portrays even cosmic powers as participating in līlā; it warns that the force of desire can overwhelm any embodied being, calling for vigilance and dharmic restraint.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is situated in Kedārakhaṇḍa’s Himalayan sacred narrative, indirectly supporting the sanctity of the Kedāra region rather than naming a particular tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.