Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

तथा गतस्तलं चैव पातालं च तथातलम् । तलातलानि तान्येनं शून्यवद्यद्विभाव्यते

Transliteration

tathā gatastalaṃ caiva pātālaṃ ca tathātalam | talātalāni tānyenaṃ śūnyavadyadvibhāvyate

Translation

เขายังผ่านแดนสตละ ปาตาละ และอาตละด้วย; และบรรดาโลกใต้พิภพเหล่านั้น เมื่อเทียบกับพระองค์แล้ว ก็ประหนึ่งว่างเปล่าและไร้ความหมาย

Word by Word

• tathā: thus, likewise
• tathā: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: thus)

• gataḥ: (he) went
• gataḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), भूतकालिक; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘गतः’ = gone

• talam: Tala
• talam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-बोधक

• eva: indeed, just
• eva: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक (emphatic particle)

• pātālam: Pātāla
• pātālam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-बोधक

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक

• atalam: Atala
• atalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a-tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• talātalāni: the Tala and Atala regions (collectively)
• talātalāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tala-atala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (copulative: ‘तलम् च अतलम् च’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (contextually object-like)

• tāni: those (things/regions)
• tāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘तानि’ = those

• enam: him
• enam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘एन्’ (enclitic)

• śūnyavat: as empty, like a void
• śūnyavat: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śūnya + vat (वत्)
• Form: तद्धितान्त (वत्), अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः/क्रियाविशेषणवत्; ‘शून्यवत्’ = as if empty

• yat: which/that
• yat: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• vibhāvyate: is perceived/considered
• vibhāvyate: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + bhū (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Viṣṇu (contextually continuing the account)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (implied theological center)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic sequence of underworld regions—palaces, oceans, shadowy expanses—fading into translucence as a vast, formless divine presence renders them ‘empty’ by comparison.

Characters & Entities

• Pātāla
• Atala
• Tala-lokas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

All worlds and powers seem ‘empty’ when the Supreme is truly contemplated—devotion reorders one’s sense of scale and importance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kedāra sacred context frames the teaching, but the verse itself is universal, contrasting cosmic realms with the Supreme liṅga.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse supports contemplative insight (bhāvanā) into the Lord’s immeasurability.