Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 61

Devanagari script

श्वेतस्य च महीपस्य श्रीकंठं च नमस्यतः । कालोपि प्रलयं यातः कस्तमीशं न पूजयेत्

Transliteration

śvetasya ca mahīpasya śrīkaṃṭhaṃ ca namasyataḥ | kālopi pralayaṃ yātaḥ kastamīśaṃ na pūjayet

Translation

And for King Śveta, who bowed to Śrīkaṇṭha, even Time itself went to dissolution. Who, then, would not worship that Lord?

Word by Word

• श्वेतस्य: of Śveta
• श्वेतस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वेत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन — 'of Śveta'

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• महीपस्य: of the king
• महीपस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महीप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन — 'of the king'

• श्रीकण्ठम्: Śrīkaṇṭha (Śiva)
• श्रीकण्ठम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रीकण्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — object of salutation; समासः: श्री + कण्ठ

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• नमस्यतः: of one who salutes
• नमस्यतः: Sambandha (Genitive of agent)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नमस् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present active participle), परस्मैपदी; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन — 'of (him) who is saluting'

• कालः: Time (Death)
• कालः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — subject

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अर्थः: 'even/also'

• प्रलयम्: dissolution, destruction
• प्रलयम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — goal/object with motion verb

• यातः: has gone
• यातः: Kriya (Predicate participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — 'gone' (agreeing with कालः)

• कः: who
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — interrogative pronoun

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — 'him' (referring to Īśa)

• ईशम्: the Lord
• ईशम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — object of worship

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation particle)

• पूजयेत्: should worship
• पूजयेत्: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपदी, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — 'should worship'

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), deduced for Māheśvara-khaṇḍa narration

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhūpa (king) addressed in the verse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king named Śveta bows with folded hands before Śrīkaṇṭha; behind them, a symbolic wheel of Time (Kāla-cakra) dissolves into cosmic waters, showing Śiva’s transcendence.

Characters & Entities

• Śveta (King)
• Śrīkaṇṭha (Śiva)
• Kāla (Time)
• Pralaya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s grace transcends even Kāla; reverence to Śrīkaṇṭha is portrayed as a power that overcomes mortality.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No explicit tīrtha is named in the verse; the emphasis is on the exemplary devotee-king Śveta and Śiva’s supremacy over Time.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Namaskāra (bowing) and pūjā (worship) of Śrīkaṇṭha/Śiva are recommended.