Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

मन्वतरं तथा कल्पं महाकल्पं च षोडश । कला विसर्जनी या तु जीवमाश्रित्य वर्तते

Transliteration

manvataraṃ tathā kalpaṃ mahākalpaṃ ca ṣoḍaśa | kalā visarjanī yā tu jīvamāśritya vartate

Translation

Es gibt Manvantaras, Kalpas und den großen Kalpa, und ebenso die sechzehnfache Ordnung. Jene kalā, die «Visarjanī» heißt, wirkt, indem sie den jīva (die Einzelseele) als Stütze nimmt.

Word by Word

• मन्वन्तरम्: manvantara
• मन्वन्तरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनु (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (neut. acc. sg.)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha/Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• कल्पम्: kalpa
• कल्पम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (masc. acc. sg.)

• महाकल्पम्: mahākalpa (great kalpa)
• महाकल्पम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (masc. acc. sg.; ‘great kalpa’)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• षोडश: sixteen
• षोडश: Saṅkhyā (Numeral qualifier/संख्या)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षोडश (संख्या/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; परिमाणवाचक (numeral)

• कला: kalā
• कला: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (fem. nom. sg.)

• विसर्जनी: releasing, discharging
• विसर्जनी: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विसर्जनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (fem. nom. sg.)

• या: which
• या: Anvaya (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun, fem. nom. sg.)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha/Discourse (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• जीवम्: the living being (jīva)
• जीवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जीव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (masc. acc. sg.)

• आश्रित्य: having resorted to, depending on
• आश्रित्य: Pūrvakāla (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ + श्रि (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• वर्तते: exists/operates
• वर्तते: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमानकाल/present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (3rd sg. pres. Ā.)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic diagram: concentric circles labeled manvantara, kalpa, mahākalpa; at the center a small jīva-flame tethered by a thread to a feminine personification of Kalā, with a gesture of ‘release’ (visarjanī).

Characters & Entities

• Manvantara
• Kalpa
• Mahākalpa
• Kalā
• Jīva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cosmic time-cycles are mirrored in the soul’s journey; time’s ‘releasing’ power governs transition and dissolution at multiple scales.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Prabhāsa Māhātmya context sacralizes these cosmological teachings as part of the kṣetra’s revelation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it provides cosmological grounding for rites aimed at liberation (mokṣa) and release.