Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । परमायुः स्मृतो ब्रह्मा परार्द्धं तस्य वै गतम् । प्रभासक्षेत्रसंस्थस्य द्वितीयं भवतेऽधुना

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | paramāyuḥ smṛto brahmā parārddhaṃ tasya vai gatam | prabhāsakṣetrasaṃsthasya dvitīyaṃ bhavate'dhunā

Translation

Īśvara sprach: „Brahmā gilt als der mit der höchsten Lebensspanne; davon ist wahrlich ein parārdha bereits vergangen. Für Brahmā, der in Prabhāsa-kṣetra weilt, schreitet nun die zweite Hälfte fort.“

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम

• परमायुः: the supreme lifespan
• परमायुः: Karta (Subject of 'smṛtaḥ')
• Type: Noun
• Root: परम + आयुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (परमम् आयुः)

• स्मृतः: is stated
• स्मृतः: Kriyā (Predicative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय (is said/remembered)

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• परार्द्धम्: a parārdha
• परार्द्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परार्द्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तस्य: of him / his
• तस्य: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• वै: indeed
• वै: Nipāta (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निश्चयार्थक (indeed)

• गतम्: has passed / gone
• गतम्: Kriyā (Predicative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'परार्द्धम्' इत्यस्य विधेय

• प्रभासक्षेत्रसंस्थस्य: of (him) who is situated in the Prabhāsa field
• प्रभासक्षेत्रसंस्थस्य: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Qualifier in genitive)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रभास + क्षेत्र + संस्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (प्रभासक्षेत्रे संस्थः)

• द्वितीयम्: the second
• द्वितीयम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वितीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (परार्द्धम्/भागम्)

• भवते: comes to be / occurs
• भवते: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम

• अधुना: now
• अधुना: Kālādhi-karaṇa (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अधुना (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक (now)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Īśvara declares Brahmā’s supreme lifespan and that one parārdha has passed; in Prabhāsa, the ‘second half’ unfolds—depict Brahmā on a lotus within a radiant kṣetra-mandala, with two great halves of a cosmic timeline shown as luminous arcs.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Brahmā
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra
• Parārdha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even cosmic rulers like Brahmā are measured by time; the kṣetra frames this truth within sacred presence and divine teaching.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, presented as a seat where Brahmā abides and cosmic time is disclosed.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a cosmological clarification given by Īśvara.