Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

कदाचिदपि कल्पांते द्यो लोके भ्रंशति क्षये । प्रोत्तंभनं स्तंभ इव दत्तो विश्वकृता स्वयम्

Transliteration

kadācidapi kalpāṃte dyo loke bhraṃśati kṣaye | prottaṃbhanaṃ staṃbha iva datto viśvakṛtā svayam

Translation

కొన్నిసార్లు కల్పాంత క్షయమున ద్యులోకం కూలిపోవునప్పుడు, విశ్వకర్త స్వయంగా ప్రసాదించిన ఆధారస్తంభంలా ఇది దానిని నిలబెట్టును.

Word by Word

• कदाचित्: at some time
• कदाचित्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb of time)

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle: even/also)

• कल्प-अन्ते: at the end of an aeon
• कल्प-अन्ते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘कल्पस्य अन्ते’

• द्यौः: the heaven/sky
• द्यौः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्यौ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• भ्रंशति: falls/declines
• भ्रंशति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भ्रंश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• क्षये: at destruction/decay
• क्षये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• प्रोत्तम्भनम्: a firm support/prop
• प्रोत्तम्भनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्र + उत् + स्तम्भन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; भाववाचक ‘support/prop’

• स्तम्भः: a pillar
• स्तम्भः: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्तम्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• इव: like
• इव: Upamana-marker (Simile/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमा-वाचक

• दत्तः: was given/placed
• दत्तः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle) ‘दत्त’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• विश्वकृता: by Viśvakṛt (Viśvakarman)
• विश्वकृता: Karana (Instrument/Agent-in-passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वकृत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; ‘विश्वं करोति’ (epithet of Viśvakarman)

• स्वयम्: himself
• स्वयम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आत्मवाचक (reflexive adverb)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta/imperishable field implied)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Maitrāvaruṇa

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the end of a kalpa, worlds collapse; yet the sacred structure stands, upheld like a cosmic pillar placed by the World-Maker.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Viśvakṛt (cosmic maker/Viśvakarmā epithet)
• Dyauloka (heaven)
• Kalpa-kṣaya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even cosmic dissolution is contained by divine order; sacred narration links stability and protection to the divine presence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it provides cosmological grandeur supporting the forthcoming site-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is doctrinal imagery about cosmic cycles and divine sustenance.