Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

शुशोच हा कष्टमिति पापोहमिति चासकृत् । तत्तस्य चांतरं दृष्ट्वाऽहृष्यत्यव्रतश्चिरात्

Transliteration

śuśoca hā kaṣṭamiti pāpohamiti cāsakṛt | tattasya cāṃtaraṃ dṛṣṭvā'hṛṣyatyavrataścirāt

Translation

他一再哀号：“唉，何等苦难！我真是罪人！”见他心中出现裂隙，那无戒之人久候之后，便暗自欢喜。

Word by Word

• śuśoca: lamented/grieved
• śuśoca: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śuc (शुच्)
• Form: लिट् (परिपूर्णभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• hā: alas!
• hā: Bhāva (Exclamation/उद्गार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विस्मय/शोक-उद्गार)

• kaṣṭam: misfortune/woe
• kaṣṭam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — उद्गार-वाक्ये

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotative/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उद्धरण/वाक्य-समाप्ति सूचक)

• pāpaḥ: sinful
• pāpaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — विशेषण (अहं-शब्दस्य)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — सर्वनाम

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotative/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उद्धरण/वाक्य-समाप्ति सूचक)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय)

• asakṛt: repeatedly
• asakṛt: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: asakṛt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘repeatedly/often’

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — ‘that (thing/state)’

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — ‘of him’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय)

• antaram: inner state/secret
• antaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — ‘inner state/interval’

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Pūrvakāla (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (दृश्)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (Gerund) — ‘having seen’

• ahṛṣyat: rejoiced
• ahṛṣyat: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √hṛṣ (हृष्)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• avrataḥ: the undisciplined one
• avrataḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a-vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — नञ्-समास/उपपद: ‘without vows/undisciplined’

• cirāt: after a long time
• cirāt: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: cira (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय (तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त) — ‘after a long time/long since’

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A man weeps, hands raised in lament; behind him a shadowy figure—symbol of the ‘avratī’—smiles subtly, sensing an opening in the grieving heart.

Characters & Entities

• Nandabhadra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Excessive lamentation creates an inner breach; dharma requires mental guardianship, especially when tested by suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is referenced; the verse focuses on ethical-psychological struggle.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, the value of vrata (disciplined vows) is contrasted with being avrata, but no specific rite is prescribed.