Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

तद्दृष्ट्वा तत्क्षणादेव देवो भ्रांतिविनाशनः । भ्रममाणस्तदा शंभुर्नापश्यदसितेक्षणाम्

Transliteration

taddṛṣṭvā tatkṣaṇādeva devo bhrāṃtivināśanaḥ | bhramamāṇastadā śaṃbhurnāpaśyadasitekṣaṇām

Translation

तद्दृष्ट्वा तत्क्षणादेव देवो भ्रांतिविनाशनः; तदा शंभुर्भ्रममाणोऽपि असितेक्षणां नापश्यत्।

Word by Word

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम; ‘that (event)’

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय; ‘having seen’

• tat-kṣaṇāt: from that very moment
• tat-kṣaṇāt: Apadana (Source/Time-point/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad + kṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (तस्मिन् क्षणे)

• eva: indeed, just
• eva: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण-निपात (particle of emphasis/just)

• devaḥ: the god (Śiva)
• devaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• bhrānti-vināśanaḥ: destroyer of delusion
• bhrānti-vināśanaḥ: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhrānti + vināśana (प्रातिपदिक; भ्रान्ति + विनाशन)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (devaḥ); तत्पुरुषः (भ्रान्तेः विनाशनः)

• bhramamāṇaḥ: wandering about
• bhramamāṇaḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhram (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कृदन्तम्; शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त (present middle participle/ātmanepada), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘wandering, roaming’

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषणम्

• śaṃbhuḥ: Śambhu (Śiva)
• śaṃbhuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃbhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (negation)

• apaśyat: saw
• apaśyat: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; धातु: पश्य (दृश्)

• asita-īkṣaṇām: the dark-eyed (lady)
• asita-īkṣaṇām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asita + īkṣaṇā (प्रातिपदिक; असित + ईक्षणा)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (असितं ईक्षणं यस्याः सा)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śambhu wanders through the Himalayan terrain, scanning valleys and groves, yet cannot find the dark-eyed Devī; the landscape feels vast and echoing.

Characters & Entities

• Śambhu
• Śiva
• Girijā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the ‘destroyer of delusion’ dramatizes the human-like search, teaching devotees the intensity of divine love and longing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedārakhaṇḍa frames the episode within Kedāra’s sacred landscape, though the verse itself highlights the narrative action.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is directly mentioned.