Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

कल्पं तल्लैङ्गमित्युक्तं पुराणं ब्रह्मणा स्वयम्

Transliteration

kalpaṃ tallaiṅgamityuktaṃ purāṇaṃ brahmaṇā svayam

Translation

Jener Kalpa wurde von Brahmā selbst «Laiṅga» genannt—das Liṅga-Purāṇa.

Word by Word

• kalpam: a kalpa
• kalpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• tat: that
• tat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; demonstrative = “that”

• laiṅgam: Liṅga-related (Laiṅga)
• laiṅgam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + aṇ (तद्धित) → laiṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; taddhita adjective = “pertaining to liṅga (Śiva)”

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-शब्दः (quotative marker)

• uktam: is said/called
• uktam: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; कर्मणि = “said/called”

• purāṇam: the Purāṇa
• purāṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• brahmaṇā: by Brahmā
• brahmaṇā: Karana/Karta (Agent-in-passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; करण/कर्तृ-निर्देश (agent in passive)

• svayam: himself
• svayam: Kriya-Visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्वयम् (emphatic adverb) = “himself”

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: munisattamāḥ / ṛṣis (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā, seated on a lotus, formally names a kalpa as ‘Laiṅga’ while sages listen; palm-leaf manuscripts and a liṅga-symbolic aura suggest the Liṅga Purāṇa’s identity.

Characters & Entities

• Kalpa
• Laiṅga (Liṅga Purāṇa)
• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic authority is grounded in divine transmission, presenting the liṅga tradition as sanctioned by Brahmā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya, the liṅga-centered narrative supports the sanctity of the Prabhāsa region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it identifies the textual tradition (Laiṅga/Liṅga Purāṇa) connected to the discourse.