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

کبھی کلپ کے آخر میں، جب فنا کے وقت دیولوک بکھرنے لگتا ہے، تو وہ خود خالقِ عالم کی عطا کردہ ٹیک سے، گویا ایک ستون کی مانند، سنبھالا جاتا ہے۔

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.