Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

कालाग्निं प्रेरयत्येव कल्पांते दह्यते जगत् । एवंविधमधःसूत्रं निर्मितं चात्र भारत

Transliteration

kālāgniṃ prerayatyeva kalpāṃte dahyate jagat | evaṃvidhamadhaḥsūtraṃ nirmitaṃ cātra bhārata

Translation

അവൻ തന്നെയാണ് കാലാഗ്നിയെ പ്രേരിപ്പിക്കുന്നത്; കല്പാന്തത്തിൽ ജഗത്ത് ദഗ്ധമാകുന്നു. ഹേ ഭാരത, ഇത്തരത്തിലുള്ള അധഃസൂത്രം ഇവിടെ നിർമ്മിതമായിരിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• कालाग्निम्: the fire of time (kālāgni)
• कालाग्निम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक) + अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कालस्य अग्निः); पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative); एकवचन

• प्रेरयति: impels/sets in motion
• प्रेरयति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रेर्/प्रि (धातु) + णिच्
• Form: लट्-लकार; परस्मैपद; प्रथम-पुरुष; एकवचन

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; अवधारणार्थक

• कल्पान्ते: at the end of an aeon
• कल्पान्ते: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्पान्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कल्पस्य अन्तः); पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative); एकवचन

• दह्यते: is burned
• दह्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive); प्रथम-पुरुष; एकवचन

• जगत्: the world
• जगत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• एवंविधम्: of such a kind
• एवंविधम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एवं (अव्यय) + विध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (एवं विधम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषणम् (अधःसूत्रम्)

• अधःसूत्रम्: the lower thread/line (lower stratum)
• अधःसूत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अधः (अव्यय) + सूत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• निर्मितम्: constructed/formed
• निर्मितम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्मा (धातु: मा + निर् उपसर्ग) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; (अधःसूत्रम्)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; समुच्चय-बोधक

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; देशवाचक (here)

• भारत: O Bhārata
• भारत: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative); एकवचन

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhārata

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic panorama at kalpānta: the Fire of Time expands outward, consuming worlds; above, faint silhouettes of lokas dissolve; below, the 'adhaḥ-sūtra' appears as a dark axis/cord anchoring the structure, while a narrator addresses Bhārata.

Characters & Entities

• Kālāgni (time-fire)
• Bhārata (addressee)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Creation and dissolution are lawful phases of time; even cosmic destruction (kālāgni) is an ordered function within dharma-governed reality.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; this passage is cosmological rather than a tīrtha-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.