Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

ततः क्षणेन विकलस्त्वितश्चेतश्च प्रस्खलत् । उवाच वचनं भीमः सुसंभ्रांतो नृपं प्रति

Transliteration

tataḥ kṣaṇena vikalastvitaścetaśca praskhalat | uvāca vacanaṃ bhīmaḥ susaṃbhrāṃto nṛpaṃ prati

Translation

അപ്പോൾ ക്ഷണത്തിൽ തന്നെ അവൻ വ്യാകുലനായി; മനസ്സും തളർന്നു തെന്നിത്തുടങ്ങി. അത്യന്തം ഭ്രമിച്ച ഭീമൻ രാജാവിനോട് പറഞ്ഞു.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: thereafter/from that)

• kṣaṇena: in a moment
• kṣaṇena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; काल-करण (within a moment)

• vikalaḥ: distressed, impaired
• vikalaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vikala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (implicit subject)

• tu: but
• tu: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (contrastive particle)

• itaḥ: from here; thereupon
• itaḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: itaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: from here/thereupon)

• cetaḥ: mind
• cetaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cetas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; praskhalat इत्यस्य कर्ता

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction)

• praskhalat: stumbled, faltered
• praskhalat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + skhal (स्खल् धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• vacanam: words
• vacanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• bhīmaḥ: Bhīma
• bhīmaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhīma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• susaṃbhrāntaḥ: greatly agitated
• susaṃbhrāntaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (अव्यय-उपसर्ग) + saṃbhrānta (भ्रम् धातु → सं-भ्रम्; कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (bhīmaḥ)

• nṛpam: the king
• nṛpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• prati: towards, to
• prati: Sampradana/Direction (Goal/प्रति-गति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prati (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (upasarga-like preposition: towards)

Speaker

Narrator (within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa frame)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bhīma’s posture shifts from confident to shaken—eyes widened, hand to head or chest; the king turns toward him, attendants startled.

Characters & Entities

• Bhīma
• King (nṛpa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Inner disturbance can signal moral or spiritual error; the Purāṇas portray consequences as immediate awakeners.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates the onset of distress and alarm.