Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

तुल्यस्तयोस्तु स्वर्भानुर्भूत्वाधस्तात्प्रसर्पति । उद्धृत्य पृथिवीच्छायां निर्मलां मण्डलाकृतिः

Transliteration

tulyastayostu svarbhānurbhūtvādhastātprasarpati | uddhṛtya pṛthivīcchāyāṃ nirmalāṃ maṇḍalākṛtiḥ

Translation

สวรภานุ (ราหู) ผู้มีรูปคล้ายทั้งสอง เคลื่อนคลานอยู่เบื้องล่าง ครั้นดึงเงาแห่งปฐพีขึ้นมา ก็ปรากฏเป็นมณฑลกลมใสกระจ่าง

Word by Word

• तुल्यः: equal, similar
• तुल्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तुल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• तयोः: of those two
• तयोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; सर्वनाम

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक अव्यय (particle: but/indeed)

• स्वर्भानुः: Svarbhānu (Rāhu)
• स्वर्भानुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्भानु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/पूर्वकर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वकाल (having become)

• अधस्तात्: downwards, below
• अधस्तात्: Adhikarana (Locative sense/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अधस्तात् (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• प्रसर्पति: creeps/moves forth
• प्रसर्पति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सृप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग-प्र (प्र+सृप्)

• उद्धृत्य: having lifted/raised
• उद्धृत्य: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/पूर्वकर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद् + हृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वकाल; (उद्-उपसर्ग)

• पृथिवीच्छायाम्: the Earth's shadow
• पृथिवीच्छायाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी + छाया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पृथिव्याः छाया)

• निर्मलाम्: pure, clear
• निर्मलाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्मल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (छायाम् इति)

• मण्डलाकृतिः: circular form/shape
• मण्डलाकृतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मण्डल + आकृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष (मण्डल-आकृतिः = circular form)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Grahaṇa-snāna (general tīrtha practice, not a single named site here)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An eclipse scene: Rāhu as a dark, serpent-headed or asura-like figure gliding beneath Sun/Moon, lifting a smoky Earth-shadow into a perfect circular veil; devotees on a riverbank performing japa with lamps and water vessels.

Characters & Entities

• Svarbhānu (Rāhu)
• Sun
• Moon
• Pṛthivī (Earth)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Periods of shadow and obscuration are part of cosmic rhythm; dharma counsels steadiness through temporary darkness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; this is an explanatory cosmology verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse.