Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 62

Devanagari script

विवस्वंतमिवात्यंतं घनदोषतमोनुदम् । शशांकमिव निःशंकमवदातगुणोदयम्

Transliteration

vivasvaṃtamivātyaṃtaṃ ghanadoṣatamonudam | śaśāṃkamiva niḥśaṃkamavadātaguṇodayam

Translation

അവൻ ദോഷരൂപമായ ഘനാന്ധകാരം നീക്കുന്ന പ്രഖര സൂര്യനെപ്പോലെ അത്യന്തം ദീപ്തനായി; ഭയരഹിതവും ശാന്തവുമായ ചന്ദ്രനെപ്പോലെ നിർമല ഗുണങ്ങളുടെ ഉദയം പ്രകാശിപ്പിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• विवस्वन्तम्: the sun
• विवस्वन्तम्: Upamāna (उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विवस्वत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचनम्; उपमानपदम्

• इव: like
• इव: Sambandha (उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमा-वाचक-अव्ययम्

• अत्यन्तम्: exceedingly
• अत्यन्तम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्यन्त (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: परिमाण/तीव्रता-वाचक-अव्ययम् (adverb: exceedingly)

• घन-दोष-तमः-नुदम्: dispelling dense darkness of faults
• घन-दोष-तमः-नुदम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घन (प्रातिपदिक) + दोष (प्रातिपदिक) + तमस् (प्रातिपदिक) + नुद (√नुद् धातु, शतृ/कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः; पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; (गौतमम्) विशेषणम्

• शशाङ्कम्: the moon
• शशाङ्कम्: Upamāna (उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शशाङ्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचनम्; उपमानपदम्

• इव: like
• इव: Sambandha (उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमा-वाचक-अव्ययम्

• निःशङ्कम्: free from doubt/fear
• निःशङ्कम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निःशङ्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचनम्; (गौतमम्) विशेषणम्

• अवदात-गुण-उदयम्: having the rise of pure virtues
• अवदात-गुण-उदयम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अवदात (प्रातिपदिक) + गुण (प्रातिपदिक) + उदय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः; पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; (गौतमम्) विशेषणम्

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator, contextually Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous sage whose aura suggests both sunlike brilliance and moonlike calm; the surrounding space seems cleared of shadow, symbolizing the removal of moral darkness.

Characters & Entities

• Gautama
• Sūrya (Vivasvān)
• Candra (Śaśāṅka)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True holiness illuminates: it removes inner darkness (doṣa-tamas) and inspires fearless clarity through pure virtues.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; the verse glorifies the spiritual radiance of the sage rather than a geographical tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is devotional praise through imagery (sun and moon) to establish the sage’s authority.