Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

कुमुद उवाच । यस्त्वरूपापरिज्ञानात्प्रधानं कारणत्वतः । कल्पितं कारणायास्मै रामनाथाय शंभवे

Transliteration

kumuda uvāca | yastvarūpāparijñānātpradhānaṃ kāraṇatvataḥ | kalpitaṃ kāraṇāyāsmai rāmanāthāya śaṃbhave

Translation

Kumuda dit : Quand on ne reconnaît pas Ta Réalité sans forme, on imagine le Pradhāna comme cause. Hommage à la Cause véritable : Śambhu, Rāmanātha.

Word by Word

• कुमुदः: Kumuda
• कुमुदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुमुद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• यः: he who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (relative)

• त्वरूपापरिज्ञानात्: from non-recognition of your true form
• त्वरूपापरिज्ञानात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्व-रूप-अ-परिज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक; त्व(तव) + रूप + अपरिज्ञान)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (determinative)

• प्रधानम्: Pradhāna (primordial matter)
• प्रधानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रधान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• कारणत्वतः: as (being) the cause, in terms of causality
• कारणत्वतः: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कारणत्वतः (अव्यय; कारणत्व + तस्)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb)

• कल्पितम्: imagined, postulated
• कल्पितम्: Predicate/Viśeṣaṇa (complement/qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कॢप् (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (past participle)

• कारणाय: for (as) the cause
• कारणाय: Sampradana (Purpose/Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• अस्मै: to this one, to him
• अस्मै: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• रामनाथाय: to Rāma’s Lord
• रामनाथाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम-नाथ (प्रातिपदिक; राम + नाथ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• शंभवे: to Śambhu (Śiva)
• शंभवे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन

Speaker

Kumuda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rāmanātha/Rāmeśvara

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kumuda offers praise; an allegorical backdrop shows 'Pradhāna' as a shadowy, mistaken cause-figure dissolving as the radiant, formless presence of Śambhu is realized through the liṅga symbol.

Characters & Entities

• Kumuda
• Śiva (Śambhu)
• Rāmanātha
• Pradhāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Misunderstanding the formless Absolute leads to substituting lesser ‘causes’; true refuge is the Lord who is the real source of all.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Rāmeśvaram at Setu, where Śiva as Rāmanātha is praised as the ultimate cause and highest truth.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; the verse is a philosophical stuti framed as salutations.