Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 104

Devanagari script

यो हि नित्यं महाकालं श्रद्धया पूजयेत्पुमान् । स दौष्कुलीनदोषेभ्यो मुच्यतेऽहिरिव त्वचः

Transliteration

yo hi nityaṃ mahākālaṃ śraddhayā pūjayetpumān | sa dauṣkulīnadoṣebhyo mucyate'hiriva tvacaḥ

Translation

ಯಾವನು ಶ್ರದ್ಧೆಯಿಂದ ನಿತ್ಯ ಮಹಾಕಾಲನನ್ನು ಪೂಜಿಸುತ್ತಾನೋ, ಅವನು ಕುಕುಲೀನ ದೋಷಗಳಿಂದ ಹಾವು ಚರ್ಮ ಬಿಟ್ಟಂತೆ ಮುಕ್ತನಾಗುತ್ತಾನೆ।

Word by Word

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — relative pronoun, masculine nominative singular

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

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Kala-adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव/क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण (नित्य-शब्दस्य नपुंसक-द्वितीया एकवचनप्रयोगः) — adverb ‘always’

• महाकालम्: Mahākāla
• महाकालम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाकाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — masculine accusative singular

• श्रद्धया: with faith
• श्रद्धया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रद्धा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन — feminine instrumental singular

• पूजयेत्: should worship
• पूजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — optative, 3rd sg, active

• पुमान्: a man
• पुमान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुमांस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — masculine nominative singular

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — demonstrative pronoun, masculine nominative singular

• दौष्कुलीनदोषेभ्यः: from the faults of bad lineage
• दौष्कुलीनदोषेभ्यः: Apadana (Ablative/source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दौष्कुलीन + दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (कर्मधारय/षष्ठीभावः): ‘दौष्कुलीनाः दोषाः’; पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), बहुवचन — masculine ablative plural

• मुच्यते: is freed
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थः — present, 3rd sg, middle; ‘is released’

• अहिः: a snake
• अहिः: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — masculine nominative singular

• इव: like
• इव: Upama-dyotaka (Comparative marker/उपमाद्योतक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमावाचक) — indeclinable particle of comparison

• त्वचः: from (its) skin
• त्वचः: Apadana (Ablative/source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन — feminine ablative singular

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced: Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahākāla-kṣetra (within Babhru-pāvana tīrtha context)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee performs daily worship before Mahākāla; beside him a symbolic serpent sheds its skin, illustrating the verse’s simile of effortless release from दोष.

Characters & Entities

• Mahākāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Faithful daily worship of Śiva purifies even deep-seated social and karmic stigmas, granting inner renewal.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mahākāla’s sacred presence in Guptakṣetra (context of the chapter).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Nitya-pūjā (daily worship) of Mahākāla with śraddhā.