Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 93

Devanagari script

अहंकारात्समुत्पन्नं महत्तत्त्वं च पार्वति । महत्तत्त्वात्तमो जातं तमसा वेष्टितं नभः

Transliteration

ahaṃkārātsamutpannaṃ mahattattvaṃ ca pārvati | mahattattvāttamo jātaṃ tamasā veṣṭitaṃ nabhaḥ

Translation

اے پاروتی! اَہنکار سے مہت تتّو پیدا ہوتا ہے۔ مہت تتّو سے تَمَس جنم لیتا ہے، اور اسی تَمَس سے آکاش (نَبھس) ڈھک جاتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• ahaṃkārāt: from ego (ahaṃkāra)
• ahaṃkārāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ahaṃkāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन

• samutpannam: arisen
• samutpannam: Kriya (Result-state/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam + ut + pad (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय

• mahattattvam: the Mahat principle
• mahattattvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahat + tattva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (mahat + tattva), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अत्र प्रथमा (subject)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• pārvati: O Pārvatī
• pārvati: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन

• mahattattvāt: from Mahat-tattva
• mahattattvāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahattattva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन

• tamaḥ: darkness; tamas
• tamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tamas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• jātam: was born
• jātam: Kriya (Result-state/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय

• tamasā: by darkness
• tamasā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tamas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• veṣṭitam: covered; enveloped
• veṣṭitam: Kriya (Result-state/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: veṣṭ (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय

• nabhaḥ: sky; ether
• nabhaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nabhas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra-kṣetra (contextual frame)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic cosmogram: from a central ‘I’-knot (ahaṃkāra) radiates Mahat; then a dark veil (tamas) spreads, dimming a vast sky-dome (nabhas). Śiva explains while Pārvatī listens.

Characters & Entities

• Pārvatī
• Ahaṃkāra
• Mahat-tattva
• Tamas
• Nabhas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly experience arises through layered principles (ahaṃkāra, Mahat, tamas); recognizing this helps loosen attachment to appearances.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse occurs in Kedāra-khaṇḍa (Kedārakṣetra/Kedarnath region), though this specific line teaches cosmology rather than directly praising a spot.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is a doctrinal statement about manifestation and the guṇas.