Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

ऋषींश्च देवांश्च महासुरांश्च त्रैविद्यविद्यान्पुरुषान्नृपांश्च । कान्मृत्युरेको न पतेत काले परावरज्ञोऽत्र न मुह्यते क्वचित्

Transliteration

ṛṣīṃśca devāṃśca mahāsurāṃśca traividyavidyānpuruṣānnṛpāṃśca | kānmṛtyureko na pateta kāle parāvarajño'tra na muhyate kvacit

Translation

Sages ṛṣi, dieux, grands asura, maîtres de la triple science védique, hommes et rois : lorsque l’heure arrive, sur qui la Mort unique ne s’abat-elle pas ? Celui qui connaît le supérieur et l’inférieur, l’ordre véritable, n’est jamais abusé en ce monde.

Word by Word

• ṛṣīn: sages
• ṛṣīn: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• devān: gods
• devān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• mahāsurān: great demons
• mahāsurān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + asura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय: ‘महान्तः असुराः’

• ca: and
• ca: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• traividyavidyān: the Vedic sciences (of the three Vedas)
• traividyavidyān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: traividya (प्रातिपदिक) + vidyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘त्रैविद्यस्य विद्याḥ’ (the knowledges of the three Vedas)

• puruṣān: men/persons
• puruṣān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन

• nṛpān: kings
• nṛpān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• kān: whom (which ones)
• kān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• mṛtyuḥ: death
• mṛtyuḥ: Karta/Subject (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛtyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• ekaḥ: alone/single
• ekaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival to mṛtyuḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण (mṛtyuḥ)

• na: not
• na: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation)

• patet: would fall upon/strike
• patet: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pat (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/सम्भावना), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• kāle: at the time
• kāle: Adhikaraṇa (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• parāvarajñaḥ: one who knows the higher and the lower
• parāvarajñaḥ: Karta/Subject (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक) + avara (प्रातिपदिक) + jña (कृदन्त; √jñā (धातु))
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘परं चावरं च जानाति’/‘परावरयोः ज्ञः’ = knower of higher and lower

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• na: not
• na: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation)

• muhyate: is deluded
• muhyate: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √muh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• kvacit: ever/anywhere
• kvacit: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kvacit (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/देशवाचक अव्यय (indefinite adverb)

Speaker

Kāmakhyā Devī

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhāratarṣabha (royal listener addressed in adjacent verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic tableau showing representatives—ṛṣis, devas, asuras, Vedic scholars, kings—standing under the shadow of a single looming figure of Kāla/Mṛtyu, while a serene knower stands unshaken.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣis
• Devas
• Asuras
• Nṛpas (kings)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

All beings are subject to Kāla; wisdom lies in understanding the true hierarchy of reality and remaining undeluded.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned; it is a universal reflection on mortality.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a teaching intended to cultivate discernment and steadiness.