Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

ततोऽस्त्रविस्फुलिंगांकं तमः शुक्लं व्यजायत । प्रोत्फुल्लारुणपद्मौघं शरदीवामलं सरः

Transliteration

tato'stravisphuliṃgāṃkaṃ tamaḥ śuklaṃ vyajāyata | protphullāruṇapadmaughaṃ śaradīvāmalaṃ saraḥ

Translation

അപ്പോൾ അസ്ത്രത്തിന്റെ സ്ഫുലിംഗചിഹ്നങ്ങളാൽ അടയാളപ്പെട്ട ആ അന്ധകാരം വെളുപ്പായി മാറി—ശരദ്കാലത്തിലെ നിർമല തടാകം, പൂർണ്ണമായി വിരിഞ്ഞ ചുവന്ന താമരക്കൂട്ടം നിറഞ്ഞതുപോലെ.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: thereupon
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (thereupon)

• astra-visphuliṅga-aṅkam: marked with sparks of weapons
• astra-visphuliṅga-aṅkam: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: astra (प्रातिपदिक) + visphuliṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: अस्त्रविस्फुलिङ्गाङ्क (marked with weapon-sparks) तत्पुरुष; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; tamaḥ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• tamaḥ: darkness
• tamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tamas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/कर्ता), एकवचन

• śuklam: white/bright
• śuklam: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śukla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; tamaḥ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• vyajāyata: arose/was produced
• vyajāyata: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-jan (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; √जन् (to be born/arise) with वि-

• protphulla-aruṇa-padma-ogham: having a mass of fully-bloomed red lotuses
• protphulla-aruṇa-padma-ogham: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-ut-phulla (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त) + aruṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + padma (प्रातिपदिक) + ogha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: प्रोत्फुल्लारुणपद्मौघ (mass of fully-bloomed red lotuses) तत्पुरुष; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; saraḥ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• śaradi: in autumn
• śaradi: Adhikarana (Standard of comparison locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śarad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• iva: like
• iva: Sambandha (Comparison marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमानवाचक-अव्यय (particle of comparison)

• amalam: spotless/clear
• amalam: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: amala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; saraḥ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• saraḥ: a lake
• saraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/कर्ता), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Darkness flecked with sparks turns into a luminous whiteness; the scene resembles a pristine autumn lake, its surface calm and bright, crowded with fully blossomed red lotuses.

Characters & Entities

• Astra (weapon)
• Tamas (darkness)
• Lotus lake (simile)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When dharmic radiance arises, even what seemed like oppressive darkness can be transfigured into clarity and auspiciousness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha; the ‘autumn lake’ is a poetic comparison, not a geographic identification.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.