Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

अक्षयत्वं शरीराणां मरणं च दिनेदिने । ततः सूर्यस्य तैर्युद्धं भवत्यत्यंतदारुणम्

Transliteration

akṣayatvaṃ śarīrāṇāṃ maraṇaṃ ca dinedine | tataḥ sūryasya tairyuddhaṃ bhavatyatyaṃtadāruṇam

Translation

അവരുടെ ശരീരങ്ങൾ അക്ഷയമായതുപോലെ തോന്നിയാലും, അവർ ദിനംപ്രതി വീണ്ടും വീണ്ടും മരിക്കുന്നു; അതിനാൽ സൂര്യനോടുള്ള അവരുടെ യുദ്ധം അത്യന്തം ഭീകരമാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• अक्षयत्वम्: imperishability
• अक्षयत्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्षयत्व (प्रातिपदिक; अ + क्षय + त्व)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; भाववाचक (state of imperishability)

• शरीराणाम्: of (their) bodies
• शरीराणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• मरणम्: death
• मरणम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

• दिने: in a day
• दिने: Adhikarana (Time-locative/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; पुनरुक्तौ अव्ययीभावार्थः (in a day)

• दिने: in a day (repeated)
• दिने: Adhikarana (Time-locative/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (day by day)

• ततः: then/thereupon
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence/अनन्तर)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: ततः इति अव्ययीभूतः पञ्चमी-एकवचनरूपम्; अनन्तरार्थे/हेत्वर्थे (then/thereupon)

• सूर्यस्य: of the Sun
• सूर्यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• तैः: by them
• तैः: Karana/Karta (Agent-instrument/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• युद्धम्: battle
• युद्धम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• भवति: becomes/occurs
• भवति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अत्यन्तदारुणम्: extremely dreadful
• अत्यन्तदारुणम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अत्यन्त-दारुण (प्रातिपदिक; अत्यन्त + दारुण)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (अत्यन्तं दारुणम्); विशेषणम् (युद्धम्)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Saṅdhyā-tīrtha (twilight junction)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Phālguna (Arjuna)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A fierce recurring battle: rākṣasas repeatedly struck down, dissolving and re-forming with each day; the Sun radiates as an unassailable axis; twilight sky filled with arrows of light; the horror of endless dying contrasted with the Sun’s steady brilliance.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya
• Māndehā (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Adharma is self-repeating and self-destructive; only alignment with the Sun-like principle of order ends the cycle of ruin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified; the verse is cosmological, describing the Sun’s conflict at sandhyā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly here; the next verse links the defeat of the demons to sandhyā worship and Gāyatrī sanctification.