Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

स्थितिं करोत्यहंकारः प्रलयोत्पत्तिमेव च । जगदादौगणपते तदा विज्ञप्तिमात्रतः

Transliteration

sthitiṃ karotyahaṃkāraḥ pralayotpattimeva ca | jagadādaugaṇapate tadā vijñaptimātrataḥ

Translation

അഹങ്കാരമാണ് ലോകത്തിന്റെ നിലനിൽപ്പ്, പ്രളയം, ഉത്ഭവം എന്നിവ വരുത്തുന്നത്. ഹേ ഗണപതേ, ജഗദാദിയിൽ ഇതെല്ലാം വെറും ജ്ഞാനപ്രേരണമാത്രത്താൽ സംഭവിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• स्थितिम्: maintenance, continuance
• स्थितिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थिति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• करोति: does, makes
• करोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• अहंकारः: ego-principle
• अहंकारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहंकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

• प्रलय: dissolution
• प्रलय: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष-समासपूर्वपद (समासाङ्ग), अर्थतः ‘प्रलयस्य’

• उत्पत्तिम्: creation (arising)
• उत्पत्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्पत्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समास: प्रलय-उत्पत्ति (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• एव: indeed, only
• एव: Avyaya (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• जगत्: world
• जगत्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष-समासपूर्वपद (समासाङ्ग), अर्थतः ‘जगतः’

• आदौ: at the beginning (of the world)
• आदौ: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; समास: जगद्-आदि (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• गणपते: O Gaṇapati
• गणपते: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गणपति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• विज्ञप्ति: cognition, awareness
• विज्ञप्ति: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विज्ञप्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष-समासपूर्वपद (समासाङ्ग), अर्थतः ‘विज्ञप्तेः’

• मात्रतः: from mere awareness alone
• मात्रतः: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान/हेतु), एकवचन; समास: विज्ञप्ति-मात्र (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष), अव्ययीभावार्थे ‘केवलात्’

Speaker

Maheśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra/Kedāranātha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic tableau: from a subtle ‘I’-principle (ahaṃkāra) emanate creation, continuance, and dissolution; Gaṇapati is addressed as the attentive divine witness at the dawn of the cosmos.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Gaṇapati (Gaṇeśa)
• Ahaṃkāra
• Pralaya
• Utpatti
• Sthiti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cosmic processes—creation, preservation, dissolution—are tied to subtle principles; mastery begins with understanding the inner ‘I’-sense.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly Kedāra-kṣetra, by presenting it as a setting for high Śaiva cosmological teaching.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is specified; it is metaphysical exposition.