Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

यद्दृश्यमानं महदल्पकं च तन्नश्वरं कृतकत्वाच्च सूत

Transliteration

yaddṛśyamānaṃ mahadalpakaṃ ca tannaśvaraṃ kṛtakatvācca sūta

Translation

Ô Sūta, tout ce qui est vu—grand ou petit—est périssable, car il est produit et soumis aux conditions.

Word by Word

• yat: whatever/that which
• yat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• dṛśyamānam: being seen, perceptible
• dṛśyamānam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dṛś (दृश् धातु) + śyāna/śānac (शानच्) (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि-प्रयोगे शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

• mahat: great
• mahat: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

• alpakam: small, little
• alpakam: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: alpaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• tat: that
• tat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; निर्देश-सर्वनाम (demonstrative)

• naśvaram: perishable
• naśvaram: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: naśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

• kṛtakatvāt: because of being made/produced
• kṛtakatvāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛtaka (प्रातिपदिक) + tva (त्व) (भावप्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (cause)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• sūta: O Sūta
• sūta: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Ṛṣis (sages) addressing Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contemplative assembly in a Himalayan hermitage setting, with the Kedāra landscape implied; a sage points to transient phenomena—clouds, snow, small and great forms—illustrating impermanence.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Discernment: all perceived phenomena are transient because they are created; the seeker should look beyond the visible to the eternal.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is philosophical within the Kedārakhaṇḍa dialogue and does not directly name a tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a teaching on impermanence intended to support higher inquiry into the nirguṇa Lord.