Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

तावन्मृत्युभयं घोरं तावज्जन्मजराभयम् । यावन्नो याति शरणं देही शिवपदांबुजम्

Transliteration

tāvanmṛtyubhayaṃ ghoraṃ tāvajjanmajarābhayam | yāvanno yāti śaraṇaṃ dehī śivapadāṃbujam

Translation

Tant que l’on ne va pas chercher refuge aux pieds de lotus de Śiva, demeurent la terrible peur de la mort, et la peur de la naissance et de la vieillesse.

Word by Word

• तावत्: so long
• तावत्: Sambandha (Correlative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, परिमाण/अवधिबोधक (correlative adverb: so long/that long)

• मृत्यु-भयम्: fear of death
• मृत्यु-भयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु (प्रातिपदिक) + भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘fear of death’

• घोरम्: terrible
• घोरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘mṛtyubhaya’)

• तावत्: so long
• तावत्: Sambandha (Correlative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, परिमाण/अवधिबोधक (so long)

• जन्म-जराभयम्: fear of birth and old age
• जन्म-जराभयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + जरा (प्रातिपदिक) + भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (जन्म-जरयोः) भयम्—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष; ‘fear of birth and old age’

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Sambandha (Correlative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, यावत्-तावत्-सम्बन्ध (correlative: as long as)

• नः: for us
• नः: Sampradana (Beneficiary/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th) बहुवचन (Plural) / वैकल्पिकं दत्तिवाचक-प्रयोगे (for us); enclitic pronoun

• याति: goes; attains
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• शरणम्: refuge
• शरणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• देही: the embodied one
• देही: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘embodied being’

• शिव-पद-अम्बुजम्: Śiva’s lotus-feet
• शिव-पद-अम्बुजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक) + पद (प्रातिपदिक) + अम्बुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘lotus (feet) of Śiva’ (lit. lotus of Śiva’s feet)

Speaker

Śiva-yogin (teacher/guru speaking to the queen)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śiva-pāda (symbolic)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dehī (embodied being; general addressee)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stark contrast tableau: on one side a trembling being shadowed by Yama-like dread; on the other, radiant lotus-feet of Śiva emanating calm, drawing the devotee into refuge.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Fear persists until refuge is taken in Śiva; surrender is presented as the remedy for existential dread.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned; the verse emphasizes devotional orientation to Śiva (padāmbuja) rather than location.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Taking refuge (śaraṇāgati) is the core practice; it may be enacted through worship, mantra-japa, and daily remembrance.