Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

तस्माद्युद्धेन मरणं न कांक्षे क्षणभंगुरम् । अन्यजन्मनि मे वीर वैरभावान्न संशयः । दातुमर्हसि मे नाथ कैवल्यं केवलं परम्

Transliteration

tasmādyuddhena maraṇaṃ na kāṃkṣe kṣaṇabhaṃguram | anyajanmani me vīra vairabhāvānna saṃśayaḥ | dātumarhasi me nātha kaivalyaṃ kevalaṃ param

Translation

അതുകൊണ്ട് ക്ഷണഭംഗുരമായ യുദ്ധമരണം ഞാൻ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നില്ല. ഹേ വീരാ, മറ്റൊരു ജന്മത്തിൽ എനിക്കുള്ളിൽ വൈരഭാവം തീർച്ചയായും വീണ്ടും ഉയരും. അതിനാൽ ഹേ നാഥാ, എനിക്ക് പരമശുദ്ധ കൈവല്യം (മോക്ഷം) ദാനം ചെയ്യണമേ.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावार्थे पञ्चमी-रूपम्; हेत्वर्थक (ablatival adverb: 'therefore/from that')

• युद्धेन: by battle
• युद्धेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• मरणम्: death
• मरणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• काङ्क्षे: I desire
• काङ्क्षे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: काङ्क्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपद

• क्षणभङ्गुरम्: momentary, perishable
• क्षणभङ्गुरम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षण + भङ्गुर (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी/सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषार्थे (kṣaṇa-bhaṅgura: 'fragile in a moment')

• अन्यजन्मनि: in another birth
• अन्यजन्मनि: Adhikarana (Location/time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य + जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• मे: my
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• वीर: O hero
• वीर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• वैरभावात्: from enmity (hostile disposition)
• वैरभावात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैर + भाव (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• दातुम्: to give
• दातुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive); क्रियार्थक (to give)

• अर्हसि: you ought / are worthy
• अर्हसि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपद

• मे: to me
• मे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी (Dative/4th), एकवचन (Singular)

• नाथ: O lord
• नाथ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• कैवल्यम्: liberation (kaivalya)
• कैवल्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कैवल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• केवलम्: alone, pure
• केवलम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: केवल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Kālanemi

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis / tīrtha-śravaṇa audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A supplicant (even an asura/warrior figure) rejects battlefield death and folds hands before the Lord, pleading for pure kaivalya; the battlefield fades behind, replaced by a serene Himalayan sanctum aura.

Characters & Entities

• Kālanemi
• Kaivalya (liberation)
• Viṣṇu (addressed as Nātha, implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Temporary rewards (even heroic death) do not end rebirth; liberation (kaivalya) is the lasting goal beyond recurring enmity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kedārakhaṇḍa setting frames the teaching within Kedāra-kṣetra’s sacred narrative environment.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed; it is a direct petition for mokṣa/kaivalya.