Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

चतुर्थं च महाकालं करंधम नृपप्रिययम् । भरद्वाजस्य तीर्थं च सिद्धेशाख्यं हि पंचमम्

Transliteration

caturthaṃ ca mahākālaṃ karaṃdhama nṛpapriyayam | bharadvājasya tīrthaṃ ca siddheśākhyaṃ hi paṃcamam

Translation

Le quatrième est Mahākāla, ainsi que Karaṃdhama, cher aux rois. Et le cinquième est le tīrtha de Bharadvāja, nommé Siddheśa.

Word by Word

• चतुर्थम्: the fourth
• चतुर्थम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषण

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• महाकालम्: Mahākāla
• महाकालम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाकाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—महा + काल (कर्मधारयः)

• करंधम्: Karaṃdha (name of a tīrtha)
• करंधम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: करंध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; (पाठभेद/नाम)

• नृपप्रियम्: Nṛpapriya (dear to the king)
• नृपप्रियम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप + प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—नृप + प्रिय (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: ‘नृपस्य प्रियम्’)

• भरद्वाजस्य: of Bharadvāja
• भरद्वाजस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरद्वाज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• तीर्थम्: tīrtha; sacred ford/place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• सिद्धेशाख्यम्: named ‘Siddheśa’
• सिद्धेशाख्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सिद्धेश + आख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—सिद्ध + ईश (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष) + आख्य (‘नाम’) (तत्पुरुषः: ‘सिद्धेश-आख्यम्’ = ‘सिद्धेश इति आख्यम्’)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• पंचमम्: the fifth
• पंचमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषण

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating to the sages

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahākāla; Karaṃdhama; Siddheśa (Bharadvāja-tīrtha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Three shrines appear in a pilgrimage sequence: a formidable Mahākāla liṅga with time-symbols, a royal-favored tīrtha with banners/royal offerings, and Siddheśa with Bharadvāja’s hermitage nearby, evoking siddhi and tapas.

Characters & Entities

• Mahākāla
• Karaṃdhama
• Bharadvāja
• Siddheśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places are not merely geographic; they embody divine powers (Mahākāla, Siddheśa) and confer protection and accomplishment when approached with dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

Mahākāla and Siddheśa (the fifth tīrtha, associated with Bharadvāja).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; the ongoing context is tīrtha-snānā and pilgrimage enumeration.