Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

कल्पेकल्पे पृथग्भावं कारणैरस्ति भामिनि । असंख्यातं च तद्वक्तुं शक्यं नैव मया प्रिये

Transliteration

kalpekalpe pṛthagbhāvaṃ kāraṇairasti bhāmini | asaṃkhyātaṃ ca tadvaktuṃ śakyaṃ naiva mayā priye

Translation

„O Strahlende, in jeder Kalpa ist die Lage verschieden, je nach unterschiedlichen Ursachen. Und da sie unzählbar sind, Geliebte, vermag ich sie nicht alle zu berichten.“

Word by Word

• कल्पे: in a kalpa
• कल्पे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative)

• कल्पे: in (each) kalpa
• कल्पे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (kalpe kalpe = each kalpa)

• पृथग्भावम्: separateness, distinct state
• पृथग्भावम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथग्भाव (प्रातिपदिक; पृथक् + भाव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (object)

• कारणैः: by causes
• कारणैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; करण (instrument)

• अस्ति: is/exists
• अस्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• भामिनि: O lovely one
• भामिनि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भामिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; संबोधन

• असंख्यातम्: countless
• असंख्यातम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: असंख्यात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘पृथग्भावम्’/or implied ‘तत्’)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; सर्वनाम; ‘वक्तुम्’ का कर्म

• वक्तुम्: to speak/tell
• वक्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive), अव्ययवत्; अर्थ: ‘to speak’

• शक्यम्: possible
• शक्यम्: Kriya-visheshana (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शक्य (प्रातिपदिक; √शक् से)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; भावे प्रयोगे विधेय (predicative)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation particle)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• मया: by me
• मया: Kartr (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करण/कर्ता (agent in passive sense)

• प्रिये: O dear one
• प्रिये: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; संबोधन

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva gestures toward the immensity of kalpas: each cycle differs, causes are countless; the scene expands from intimate dialogue to a cosmic panorama of repeating worlds and moons.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Pārvatī
• Kalpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reality unfolds across vast cycles; humility is needed because cosmic causation is multi-layered and immeasurable.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra; the discourse occurs within its māhātmya narrative setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a cosmological clarification about kalpas and causality.