Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

असंख्याताश्च कल्पाख्या असंख्याताः पितामहाः । हरयश्चाप्यसंख्याता एक एव महेश्वरः

Transliteration

asaṃkhyātāśca kalpākhyā asaṃkhyātāḥ pitāmahāḥ | harayaścāpyasaṃkhyātā eka eva maheśvaraḥ

Translation

Unzählbar sind die Zyklen, die man Kalpas nennt; unzählbar die Pitāmahas (Brahmās); unzählbar auch die Haris (Viṣṇus) — doch Maheśvara ist einzig und allein.

Word by Word

• असंख्याताः: countless
• असंख्याताः: Kartr (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: असंख्यात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; विशेषण (कल्पाख्याः)

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

• कल्पाख्याः: (periods) called kalpas
• कल्पाख्याः: Kartr (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्पाख्य (प्रातिपदिक; कल्प + आख्या)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; ‘कल्प’ इति आख्या यस्य (named ‘kalpa’)

• असंख्याताः: countless
• असंख्याताः: Kartr (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: असंख्यात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; विशेषण (पितामहाः)

• पितामहाः: Brahmās / grandsires
• पितामहाः: Kartr (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; कर्तृपद

• हरयः: Viṣṇus (Harīs)
• हरयः: Kartr (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; कर्तृपद

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

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक अव्यय (also)

• असंख्याताः: countless
• असंख्याताः: Kartr (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: असंख्यात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; विशेषण (हरयः)

• एकः: one
• एकः: Kartr (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण (महेश्वरः)

• एव: alone/indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (emphasis)

• महेश्वरः: Mahēśvara (the Great Lord)
• महेश्वरः: Kartr (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; महा + ईश्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्तृपद

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī/Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic tableau: innumerable kalpas and deity-forms receding into vastness, while a single radiant Maheśvara stands unmoving as the axis of all worlds.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Kalpa
• Pitāmaha (Brahmā)
• Hari (Viṣṇu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Amid endless cosmic cycles and manifestations, the supreme principle is singular—Maheśvara as the unchanging reality.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra; the māhātmya uses cosmology to magnify Shaiva supremacy within the sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a theological proclamation emphasizing Śiva’s oneness.