Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

यथा मृतस्तथा हं वै ब्रह्महत्यावृतो महान् । रागद्वेषसमुत्थेन पापेनास्मि परिप्लुतः

Transliteration

yathā mṛtastathā haṃ vai brahmahatyāvṛto mahān | rāgadveṣasamutthena pāpenāsmi pariplutaḥ

Translation

Sesungguhnya aku bagaikan sudah mati—diselubungi dosa besar brahmahatyā. Aku ditenggelami oleh kejahatan yang lahir daripada nafsu dan kebencian.

Word by Word

• yathā: just as
• yathā: Sambandha (Correlative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धबोधक-उपमानार्थक (correlative/comparative indeclinable: 'as/just as')

• mṛtaḥ: dead
• mṛtaḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mṛta (कृदन्त; √mṛ (मृ) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतभावे (past participle: 'dead')

• tathā: so, likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Correlative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तद्-सम्बन्धी सहसंबन्धक (correlative indeclinable: 'so/just so')

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; उत्तमपुरुष, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (pronoun: I)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Prayojaka (Emphasis/निश्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक/उपपद (particle of emphasis/indeed)

• brahmahatyā-āvṛtaḥ: covered by the sin of brahmahatyā
• brahmahatyā-āvṛtaḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: brahmahatyā (प्रातिपदिक) + āvṛta (कृदन्त; √vṛ (वृ) + क्त, उपसर्ग ā-)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (तृतीया/करण-सम्बन्धे: 'brahmahatyāyā āvṛtaḥ'); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (covered/overwhelmed by)

• mahān: great
• mahān: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (great)

• rāga-dveṣa-samutthena: arisen from passion and hatred
• rāga-dveṣa-samutthena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rāga (प्रातिपदिक) + dveṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + samuttha (कृदन्त/विशेषण; सम्+उत्+√sthā (स्था) + क्त/क्तवत्-भाव)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी/सम्बन्धे: 'rāgadveṣayoḥ samutthena'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; विशेषण (arisen from passion and hatred)

• pāpena: by sin
• pāpena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन (by/with sin)

• asmi: am
• asmi: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (अस्)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद (I am)

• pariplutaḥ: overwhelmed
• pariplutaḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paripluta (कृदन्त; pari+√plu (प्लु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (flooded/overwhelmed)

Speaker

Śakra (Indra)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (Kedāranātha kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A remorse-stricken divine figure (Indra implied) speaks of being ‘as good as dead,’ shadowed by the dark aura of brahmahatyā, while the Himalayan Śaiva landscape suggests a path to expiation.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmahatyā
• Rāga
• Dveṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Rāga and dveṣa are presented as destructive inner forces that culminate in grave sin and spiritual ‘death-like’ ruin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it is a confession within the Kedāra-khaṇḍa narrative flow.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it frames the need for expiation by identifying the sin and its psychological roots.