Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

अहो कष्टमिदं रूपं तमसा विश्वमोहनम् । येन कल्पावसानेपि विष्णुर्नाद्यापि बुध्यते

Transliteration

aho kaṣṭamidaṃ rūpaṃ tamasā viśvamohanam | yena kalpāvasānepi viṣṇurnādyāpi budhyate

Translation

Hélas ! Quelle condition douloureuse : ces ténèbres qui ensorcellent l’univers entier, par lesquelles, même à la fin du kalpa, Viṣṇu ne s’est pas encore éveillé.

Word by Word

• अहो: alas!/oh!
• अहो: Sambodhana/Exclamation (उद्गार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aho (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्गार-अव्यय (interjection/exclamation)

• कष्टम्: misfortune; hardship
• कष्टम्: Karma/Predicate (कर्म/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; भाववाचक-नाम (predicate noun)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (demonstrative)

• रूपम्: form; appearance
• रूपम्: Karma/Predicate (कर्म/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• तमसा: by darkness
• तमसा: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tamas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• विश्वमोहनम्: world-deluding
• विश्वमोहनम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viśva (प्रातिपदिक) + mohana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (viśvasya mohanam = deluding of the world)

• येन: by which
• येन: Karana/Hetu (करण/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धे (relative pronoun)

• कल्पावसाने: at the end of the kalpa
• कल्पावसाने: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalpa (प्रातिपदिक) + avasāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (kalpasya avasāne = at the end of the aeon)

• अपि: even; also
• अपि: Particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थ (even/also)

• विष्णुः: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• अद्य: today; now
• अद्य: Kala-adhikarana (काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adya (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अपि-अर्थ (even)

• बुध्यते: is understood; is known
• बुध्यते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √budh (बुध्)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः (passive/impersonal sense: 'is understood')

Speaker

Gautama

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aruṇācala

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-seeker/audience within the purāṇic dialogue frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic night of thick darkness envelops the worlds; devas lament that even Viṣṇu remains unawakened at kalpa’s end, suggesting a vast, starless void awaiting the revelation of Śiva’s light.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cosmic delusion (tamas) can eclipse even great powers; liberation comes through the recognition of the supreme light beyond delusion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Aruṇācala, revered as Śiva’s luminous presence, is the theological backdrop for the removal of universal tamas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual instruction appears in this verse.