Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

ददर्श प्रेततुल्यानि लिंगशक्त्यात्मकानि च । ब्रह्माण्डगोलकान्येव कोटिशः परमाणुवत्

Transliteration

dadarśa pretatulyāni liṃgaśaktyātmakāni ca | brahmāṇḍagolakānyeva koṭiśaḥ paramāṇuvat

Translation

त्याने प्रेततुल्य, लिंग-शक्तिस्वरूप असंख्य ब्रह्मांड-गोलक पाहिले—परमाणूसारखे कोटीकोटी, अगणित।

Word by Word

• ददर्श: saw
• ददर्श: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular)

• प्रेततुल्यानि: like corpses
• प्रेततुल्यानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रेत (प्रातिपदिक) + तुल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (nominative/accusative), बहुवचन (plural); विशेषण (adjective)

• लिङ्गशक्त्यात्मकानि: consisting of liṅga and śakti
• लिङ्गशक्त्यात्मकानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (nominative/accusative), बहुवचन (plural); विशेषण (adjective)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• ब्रह्माण्डगोलकानि: cosmic spheres (universe-globes)
• ब्रह्माण्डगोलकानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्माण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + गोलक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (nominative/accusative), बहुवचन (plural)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• कोटिशः: by crores; innumerably
• कोटिशः: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: शस्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (distributive adverb: 'by crores/innumerably')

• परमाणुवत्: like atoms
• परमाणुवत्: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परमाणु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: वत्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (similative: 'like/as')

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra / Kedāranātha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer audience (rishis/disciples in frame typical of Skanda Purāṇa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A visionary seer beholds innumerable brahmāṇḍa-spheres, pale and ghostlike, floating like dust-motes/atoms around a radiant liṅga-field of power.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga-Śakti
• Brahmāṇḍas (cosmic eggs)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The universes are many and insubstantial before the Absolute; all are manifestations of Liṅga-Śakti.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra’s Shaiva frame is maintained; the teaching elevates the Kedāra Liṅga as a lens for cosmic understanding.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse presents a cosmological revelation rather than a practice.