Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

परात्परतरं स्वच्छं निर्मलं निरवग्रहम् । निरञ्जनं निराभासं यस्मिन्मुह्यंति सूरयः

Transliteration

parātparataraṃ svacchaṃ nirmalaṃ niravagraham | nirañjanaṃ nirābhāsaṃ yasminmuhyaṃti sūrayaḥ

Translation

പരാത്പരത്തിനും അതീതമായ ആ തത്ത്വം അത്യന്തം സ്വച്ഛവും നിർമ്മലവും അവ്യയവും; തടസ്സരഹിതം, നിരഞ്ജനം, ആഭാസശൂന്യം—അതിൽ ജ്ഞാനികളും മയങ്ങുന്നു।

Word by Word

• परात्: than the supreme/beyond
• परात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तुलनार्थे (than the beyond/supreme)

• परतरम्: more supreme
• परतरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परतर (प्रातिपदिक; तर-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तुलनात्मक-विशेषण (comparative)

• स्वच्छम्: pure/clear
• स्वच्छम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वच्छ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• निर्मलम्: stainless
• निर्मलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्मल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• निरवग्रहम्: unobstructed/without impediment
• निरवग्रहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निरवग्रह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• निरञ्जनम्: untainted
• निरञ्जनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निरञ्जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• निराभासम्: without appearance/without reflection
• निराभासम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निराभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• यस्मिन्: in which
• यस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (relative pronoun)

• मुह्यन्ति: are deluded/confused
• मुह्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √मुह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान/Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• सूरयः: sages/wise ones
• सूरयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta/Lomaśa tradition) addressing the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative frame; immediate speaker not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (Kedāranātha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An abstracted vision: Śiva as a luminous, formless clarity beyond all stains; sages at the periphery with hands raised in wonder, their faces showing awe and ‘bewilderment’; the center is a clear, ungraspable radiance rather than a concrete form.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Supreme Reality (Śiva) transcends conceptual grasp; even learned seers are humbled before its absolute purity and formlessness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching occurs within the Kedārakhaṇḍa framework, implicitly glorifying Kedāra/Kedāranātha as a place where Śiva’s highest truth is contemplated.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed here; the emphasis is on contemplative knowledge (tattva-vicāra) of the Supreme.