Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

स्वर्गे वा नरके वापि कालमार्गगतो ह्ययम् । न शर्म लभते क्वापि व्याधविद्धमृगो यथा

Transliteration

svarge vā narake vāpi kālamārgagato hyayam | na śarma labhate kvāpi vyādhaviddhamṛgo yathā

Translation

Qu’il soit au ciel ou en enfer, celui qui s’est engagé sur la voie du Temps ne trouve la paix nulle part, tel un cerf transpercé par la flèche du chasseur.

Word by Word

• svarge: in heaven
• svarge: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• vā: or
• vā: Nipata (निपात/alternative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विकल्प/alternative particle: 'or')

• narake: in hell
• narake: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• vā: or
• vā: Nipata (निपात/alternative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विकल्प/alternative particle)

• api: even
• api: Nipata (निपात/additive)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अपि = 'even/also')

• kālamārgagataḥ: one who has gone by the path of Time
• kālamārgagataḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण/modifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kālamārga + gata (गम्-धातु, क्त/कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; विशेषणम् (ayam)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Nipata (निपात/emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/emphasis)

• ayam: this person
• ayam: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Nishedha (निषेध/negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध/negation particle)

• śarma: peace, comfort
• śarma: Karma (कर्म/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śarman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• labhate: obtains
• labhate: Kriya (क्रिया/predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• kvāpi: anywhere
• kvāpi: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kva + api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक + अपि: 'anywhere')

• vyādha-viddha-mṛgaḥ: a deer pierced by a hunter
• vyādha-viddha-mṛgaḥ: Upamana (उपमान/standard of comparison)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyādha + viddha (√vyadh, क्त/कृदन्त) + mṛga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; (vyādha-viddha) कर्मधारय-तत्पुरुषवत् उपपदसमासः; समस्तपदम् उपमानम्

• yathā: as, like
• yathā: Upama (उपमा-marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमावाचक/comparative particle: 'as/like')

Speaker

Garbha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Tāta (father/teacher figure)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A wounded deer fleeing in panic with an arrow lodged in its side, symbolizing the soul pierced by time; behind it, faint visions of heaven and hell appear as equally restless landscapes under the same turning wheel.

Characters & Entities

• Svarga
• Naraka
• Kāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

So long as one remains time-bound and karmically driven, even heaven does not grant lasting peace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is referenced; the message is about existential unrest under Kāla.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it motivates liberation-seeking rather than merit-seeking alone.