Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 176

Devanagari script

तस्मात्त्वमत्र तीर्थे च महाकालमिति स्मृतम् । सिद्धिं गतं वृणु भद्रे पतित्वे वरवर्णिनि

Transliteration

tasmāttvamatra tīrthe ca mahākālamiti smṛtam | siddhiṃ gataṃ vṛṇu bhadre patitve varavarṇini

Translation

അതുകൊണ്ട് ‘മഹാകാല’മെന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധമായ ഈ തീർത്ഥത്തിൽ, ഹേ ഭദ്രേ, ഹേ സുന്ദരിവർണിനി, സിദ്ധി പ്രാപിച്ച മഹാകാലനെ ഭർത്താവായി വരിക്ക.

Word by Word

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu/Prayojana (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tasmāt (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक ‘tad’)
• Form: तस्मात्-इत्यव्ययीभाववत् निपातः; हेत्वर्थे (ablatival adverb ‘therefore/from that’)

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• tīrthe: at the sacred ford/place
• tīrthe: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunctive/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• mahākālam: Mahākāla
• mahākālam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + kāla (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (महान् कालः)

• iti: thus
• iti: Vākyārtha-dyotaka (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/इत्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• smṛtam: is known/called
• smṛtam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa/Predicate (Predicative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु) + ta (कृत्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘स्मृत’ = ‘called/known’

• siddhim: success/attainment
• siddhim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: siddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• gatam: attained
• gatam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gam (धातु) + ta (कृत्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘गत’ = ‘gone/attained’ (siddhiṃ विशेषयति)

• vṛṇu: choose
• vṛṇu: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛ (धातु; वृणोति)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• bhadre: O auspicious one
• bhadre: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhadrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• patitve: in (the matter of) husbandhood
• patitve: Adhikaraṇa (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patitva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• vara-varṇini: O fair-complexioned one
• vara-varṇini: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara + varṇinī (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (वरः वर्णः यस्याः)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahākāla-tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a Śaiva tīrtha, a revered voice urges the maiden to accept Mahākāla—depicted as a radiant ascetic-lord—while the sacred landscape (liṅga, ghāṭa, and river) frames the decision as a rite of passage.

Characters & Entities

• Mahākāla
• Mahākāla Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Approaching a Śiva-tīrtha and taking refuge in Mahākāla is presented as a dharmic remedy that grants auspicious fulfillment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mahākāla tīrtha, explicitly named in the verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implicit prescription: to approach Mahākāla tīrtha and accept/choose Mahākāla through devotion and sacred resolve.