Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

आत्मनश्च परस्यापि यः करोत्यंतरो हरम् । तस्य भिन्नदृशो मृत्युर्विदधे भयमुल्बणम्

Transliteration

ātmanaśca parasyāpi yaḥ karotyaṃtaro haram | tasya bhinnadṛśo mṛtyurvidadhe bhayamulbaṇam

Translation

जो स्वतःमध्ये व परामध्ये हर (शिव) विषयी भेद करतो, त्या भिन्नदृष्टीच्या पुरुषास मृत्यु घोर भय उत्पन्न करतो।

Word by Word

• ātmanaḥ: of oneself
• ātmanaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti (6th/षष्ठी), Ekavacana (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-nipāta (conjunction/समुच्चय)

• parasya: of another/others
• parasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti (6th/षष्ठी), Ekavacana (Singular)

• api: also/even
• api: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Sambhāvanā/Avadhāraṇa-nipāta (particle/अपि)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā vibhakti (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (Singular), Relative pronoun (यत्-सम्बन्ध)

• karoti: does/makes
• karoti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present/लट्), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person/प्रथम), Ekavacana (Singular), Parasmaipada

• antaraḥ: different/separate
• antaraḥ: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्तृ-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā vibhakti (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (Singular); used predicatively with implied 'bhavati'

• haram: Hara (Śiva)
• haram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Dvitīyā vibhakti (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (Singular)

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine/Neuter), Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti (6th/षष्ठी), Ekavacana (Singular)

• bhinna-dṛśaḥ: of one with a divided/erroneous view
• bhinna-dṛśaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhinna (कृदन्त; √bhid भिद्, kta) + dṛś (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti (6th/षष्ठी), Ekavacana (Singular); compound: bhinnā dṛṣṭiḥ yasya → 'one whose view is divided/different' (here genitive agreeing with tasya)

• mṛtyuḥ: death
• mṛtyuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛtyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā vibhakti (1st/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (Singular)

• vidadhe: ordained/produced
• vidadhe: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dhā (धातु) with vi- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: Liṭ-lakāra (Perfect/लिट्), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person/प्रथम), Ekavacana (Singular), Ātmanepada

• bhayam: fear
• bhayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), Dvitīyā vibhakti (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (Singular)

• ulbaṇam: terrible/intense
• ulbaṇam: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ulbaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), Dvitīyā vibhakti (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (Singular); agrees with bhayam

Speaker

Unspecified (within dialogue; speaker not named in the snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Shaiva teacher admonishes a disputant: Shiva’s presence shines equally in two figures; behind them stands Kāla (Death) as a shadow that retreats when non-duality is realized.

Characters & Entities

• Hara
• Mṛtyu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Seeing Śiva as separate in oneself versus others is condemned as spiritual error that results in fear and suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a doctrinal warning about right vision (samyag-dṛṣṭi) regarding Śiva.