Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणा ऊचुः । सत्यमुक्तं महीपाल त्वयैतदखिलं वचः । महाकालप्रसादेन न किंचिद्दुर्लभं भुवि

Transliteration

brāhmaṇā ūcuḥ | satyamuktaṃ mahīpāla tvayaitadakhilaṃ vacaḥ | mahākālaprasādena na kiṃciddurlabhaṃ bhuvi

Translation

ബ്രാഹ്മണർ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ മഹീപാലാ, നീ ഈ മുഴുവൻ വചനം സത്യമായി പറഞ്ഞു; മഹാകാലന്റെ പ്രസാദത്താൽ ഭൂമിയിൽ ഒന്നും ദുർലഭമല്ല.

Word by Word

• brāhmaṇāḥ: the brāhmaṇas
• brāhmaṇāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• satyam: truly
• satyam: Kriya-visheshana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: satya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (truly)

• uktam: spoken
• uktam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु) + ta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: वच्-धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-भावः (PPP: 'said/spoken')

• mahīpāla: O king
• mahīpāla: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī (प्रातिपदिक) + pāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः (महीपालः = earth-protector/king); पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Karana (Agent-in-passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuṣmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन (instrumental singular)

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• akhilam: entire, complete
• akhilam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akhila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• vacaḥ: speech, statement
• vacaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• mahā-kāla-prasādena: by Mahākāla’s grace
• mahā-kāla-prasādena: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-kāla (प्रातिपदिक; देव-नाम) + prasāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (महाकालस्य प्रसादः); पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन (instrumental singular)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपातः (negation particle)

• kiṃcit: anything
• kiṃcit: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + cit (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थक-सर्वनाम (indefinite: 'anything')

• durlabham: hard to obtain
• durlabham: Kriya-visheshana (Predicate complement/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur + labha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (predicate adjective)

• bhuvi: on earth
• bhuvi: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū (प्रातिपदिक: bhūmi)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन (locative singular)

Speaker

Brāhmaṇas

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahākāla

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (māhīpāla)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brāhmaṇas address the king: ‘By Mahākāla’s grace nothing is difficult.’ Their faces are confident and radiant; the king bows; the shrine seems to glow brighter.

Characters & Entities

• Mahākāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine grace (prasāda) of Mahākāla is portrayed as the supreme enabler of spiritual and worldly attainments.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mahākāla’s sacred region/tīrtha is being praised (classically linked with Ujjain’s Mahākāleśvara).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse asserts the efficacy of Mahākāla’s favor as the fruit of devotion and dharma.