Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

नातः परं किंचिदिहास्ति लोके परापरोऽयं प्रभुरात्मवादी । तुष्येत मे कालसमानरूप इत्येवमुक्त्वा भगवान्सुरेशः

Transliteration

nātaḥ paraṃ kiṃcidihāsti loke parāparo'yaṃ prabhurātmavādī | tuṣyeta me kālasamānarūpa ityevamuktvā bhagavānsureśaḥ

Translation

「この世において、彼より高きものは何もない。この主は超越にして内在、アートマン（真我）を顕す御方である。『時（カーラ）を御姿とする御方よ、どうか我に慈悲を垂れたまえ。』—かく語りて、天界の主たる福徳の神（インドラ）は……」

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• ataḥ: from this; hence
• ataḥ: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादान/हेतुवाचक-प्रयोगे (from this/therefore)

• param: beyond; higher
• param: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (accusative singular neuter)

• kiṃcit: anything; something
• kiṃcit: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kiṃcid (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (indefinite pronoun: something/anything)

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• asti: is; exists
• asti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (present indicative, 3rd sg)

• loke: in the world
• loke: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (locative singular)

• parāparaḥ: both higher and lower; transcending duality
• parāparaḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para + apara (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्वन्द्व-समास (para+apara)

• ayam: this
• ayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (demonstrative pronoun)

• prabhuḥ: lord
• prabhuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ātmavādī: proclaimer of the Self
• ātmavādī: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ātman + vādin (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (ātman-vādin: one who speaks of the Self)

• tuṣyeta: may (he) be pleased
• tuṣyeta: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tuṣ (तुष् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (optative, 3rd sg: may be pleased)

• me: my; of me
• me: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (genitive singular: of me/my)

• kālasamānarūpaḥ: having a form like Time
• kālasamānarūpaḥ: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāla + samāna + rūpa (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (kāla-samāna-rūpa: having a form like Time)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: इति-शब्दः; वाक्य-समाप्ति/उद्धरणसूचक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• evam: in this way
• evam: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (manner adverb)

• uktvā: having said
• uktvā: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund): having said

• bhagavān: the Blessed Lord
• bhagavān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• sureśaḥ: lord of the gods
• sureśaḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura + īśa (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (sureśa: lord of the gods)

Speaker

Brahmā (reporting/continuing narrative); Indra is the one who prays in the verse’s second half

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-maṇḍala (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra, humbled, praises the supreme Lord as both beyond and within, praying for grace to the Time-formed deity; sages and divine attendants witness the confession of ‘none higher than Him’.

Characters & Entities

• Kāla (Time)
• Sureśa (Indra)
• Prabhu (Lord)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the king of the gods bows to the Supreme who appears as Time—worldly rank yields to ultimate reality.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is specified in this line; it is a doctrinal praise within the Revā Khaṇḍa setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A devotional act is implied: stuti (praise) and seeking grace from the Time-formed Lord.