Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

घोराद्घोरं प्रपन्नापि महाक्लेशं भयानकम् । शिवपूजाप्रभावेण तरिष्यसि महद्भयम्

Transliteration

ghorādghoraṃ prapannāpi mahākleśaṃ bhayānakam | śivapūjāprabhāveṇa tariṣyasi mahadbhayam

Translation

നീ അത്യന്തം ഘോരാവസ്ഥയിൽ പതിച്ച് മഹാഭയങ്കരമായ ക്ലേശത്തിൽ അകപ്പെട്ടാലും—ശിവപൂജയുടെ പ്രഭാവത്താൽ ആ മഹാഭയം നീ കടന്നുപോകും.

Word by Word

• घोरात्: from the terrible
• घोरात्: Apadana (Source/From/अपादान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (सन्दर्भानुसार), पञ्चमी (अपादान/5th case), एकवचन — Ablative singular

• घोरम्: a terrible (thing/state)
• घोरम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म/2nd case), एकवचन — Accusative singular

• प्रपन्ना: having resorted to, having taken refuge
• प्रपन्ना: Karta-anvayi (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र√पद्/प्र√पन् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Past participle, feminine nominative singular

• अपि: even though
• अपि: Sambandha-bodhaka (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (concessive: even/although)

• महाक्लेशम्: great suffering
• महाक्लेशम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + क्लेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म/2nd case), एकवचन — Accusative singular

• भयानकम्: frightful
• भयानकम्: Karman-anvayi (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भयानक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म/2nd case), एकवचन — Accusative singular (agreeing with महाक्लेशम्)

• शिवपूजाप्रभावेण: by the power of Śiva-worship
• शिवपूजाप्रभावेण: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव + पूजा + प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण/3rd case), एकवचन — Instrumental singular

• तरिष्यसि: you will cross over, you will overcome
• तरिष्यसि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √तॄ (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Simple future, 2nd person singular

• महत्: great
• महत्: Karman-anvayi (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म/2nd case), एकवचन — Accusative singular (agreeing with भयम्)

• भयम्: fear, danger
• भयम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म/2nd case), एकवचन — Accusative singular

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (didactic narrator within Brahmottarakhaṇḍa context)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A sīmāntinī (married woman)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A frightened devotee in a dark, threatening landscape (forest, storm, battlefield of the mind) turning toward a radiant Śiva-liṅga or Śiva’s compassionate form; fear dissolves into light.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa frames Śiva-bhakti as transformative power that carries a devotee through fear and suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named; it highlights the general prabhāva (efficacy) of Śiva-pūjā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śiva-pūjā is prescribed as the means to overcome great fear and distress.