Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

स्वर्गे वा नरके वापि कालमार्गगतो ह्ययम् । न शर्म लभते क्वापि व्याधविद्धमृगो यथा

Transliteration

svarge vā narake vāpi kālamārgagato hyayam | na śarma labhate kvāpi vyādhaviddhamṛgo yathā

Translation

സ്വർഗത്തിലായാലും നരകത്തിലായാലും, കാലമാർഗത്തിൽ പതിച്ചവന് എവിടെയും ശാന്തി ലഭിക്കില്ല—വേട്ടക്കാരന്റെ അമ്പാൽ കുത്തേറ്റ മാൻപോലെ.

Word by Word

• svarge: in heaven
• svarge: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• vā: or
• vā: Nipata (निपात/alternative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विकल्प/alternative particle: 'or')

• narake: in hell
• narake: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• vā: or
• vā: Nipata (निपात/alternative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विकल्प/alternative particle)

• api: even
• api: Nipata (निपात/additive)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अपि = 'even/also')

• kālamārgagataḥ: one who has gone by the path of Time
• kālamārgagataḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण/modifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kālamārga + gata (गम्-धातु, क्त/कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; विशेषणम् (ayam)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Nipata (निपात/emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/emphasis)

• ayam: this person
• ayam: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Nishedha (निषेध/negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध/negation particle)

• śarma: peace, comfort
• śarma: Karma (कर्म/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śarman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• labhate: obtains
• labhate: Kriya (क्रिया/predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• kvāpi: anywhere
• kvāpi: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kva + api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक + अपि: 'anywhere')

• vyādha-viddha-mṛgaḥ: a deer pierced by a hunter
• vyādha-viddha-mṛgaḥ: Upamana (उपमान/standard of comparison)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyādha + viddha (√vyadh, क्त/कृदन्त) + mṛga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; (vyādha-viddha) कर्मधारय-तत्पुरुषवत् उपपदसमासः; समस्तपदम् उपमानम्

• yathā: as, like
• yathā: Upama (उपमा-marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमावाचक/comparative particle: 'as/like')

Speaker

Garbha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Tāta (father/teacher figure)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A wounded deer fleeing in panic with an arrow lodged in its side, symbolizing the soul pierced by time; behind it, faint visions of heaven and hell appear as equally restless landscapes under the same turning wheel.

Characters & Entities

• Svarga
• Naraka
• Kāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

So long as one remains time-bound and karmically driven, even heaven does not grant lasting peace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is referenced; the message is about existential unrest under Kāla.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it motivates liberation-seeking rather than merit-seeking alone.