Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

अस्य बाह्ये तमो घोरं दुष्प्रेक्ष्यं जीववर्जितम् । पंचत्रिंशत्स्मृताः कोट्यो लक्षाण्येकोनविंशतिः

Transliteration

asya bāhye tamo ghoraṃ duṣprekṣyaṃ jīvavarjitam | paṃcatriṃśatsmṛtāḥ koṭyo lakṣāṇyekonaviṃśatiḥ

Translation

അതിന്റെ പുറത്തു ഭയങ്കരവും ദർശിക്കാൻ ദുഷ്കരവും ജീവരഹിതവുമായ ഘോരതമസ് വ്യാപിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു. അതിന്റെ വ്യാപ്തി മുപ്പത്തിയഞ്ച് കോടി ഒൻപതിനൊന്ന് അല്ല, പത്തൊമ്പത് ലക്ഷം എന്നും സ്മൃതിയിൽ പറയപ്പെടുന്നു.

Word by Word

• अस्य: of this
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular), पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग-सम्भव (pronominal)

• बाह्ये: outside; in the exterior
• बाह्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाह्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter)

• तमः: darkness
• तमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter)

• घोरम्: terrible
• घोरम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter); विशेषण (qualifier) of तमः

• दुष्प्रेक्ष्यम्: hard to look at
• दुष्प्रेक्ष्यम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर् + प्रेक्ष्य (कृदन्त; √प्रेक्ष् (धातु) + यत्)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter); यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/नीयार्थ)

• जीववर्जितम्: devoid of living beings
• जीववर्जितम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जीव + वर्जित (कृदन्त; √वर्ज् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• पञ्चत्रिंशत्: thirty-five
• पञ्चत्रिंशत्: Visheshana (Numeral modifier/संख्या-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चत्रिंशत् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक (numeral), अव्ययवत्/अविकारी (indeclinable-like numeral stem)

• स्मृताः: are said/considered
• स्मृताः: Visheshana (Predicative adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √स्मृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP) agreeing with कोट्यः

• कोट्यः: crores
• कोट्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine)

• लक्षाणि: lakhs
• लक्षाणि: Sankhya-vishaya (Counted units/संख्येय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc 1st/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter)

• एकोनविंशतिः: nineteen (one less than twenty)
• एकोनविंशतिः: Sankhya (Number predicate/संख्या)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक + ऊन + विंशति (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine); संख्यावाचक (numeral)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Phālguna (Arjuna) (context continues)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ring of impenetrable, smoky-black darkness encircling the luminous cosmic regions; no birds, no beings—only a stark boundary before the next cosmic layer.

Characters & Entities

• Lokāloka
• Tamas (cosmic darkness)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Life and light are portrayed as gifts sustained within cosmic boundaries; beyond ordered worlds lies lifeless obscurity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No terrestrial tīrtha is mentioned; this is a cosmological description.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.