Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

योऽसौ सोमेश्वरो देव आदौ भैरवनामभृत् । मन्वन्तरान्तरेऽतीते प्रतिष्ठेऽहं पुनःपुनः

Transliteration

yo'sau someśvaro deva ādau bhairavanāmabhṛt | manvantarāntare'tīte pratiṣṭhe'haṃ punaḥpunaḥ

Translation

Jener Gott Somēśvara selbst, der am Anfang den Namen Bhairava trug—wenn jeweils ein Manvantara vorüber ist, errichte und weihe ich ihn immer wieder von Neuem.

Word by Word

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक

• असौ: that (very one)
• असौ: Karta (Subject apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; निर्देशक (demonstrative)

• सोमेश्वरः: Someśvara
• सोमेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• देव: O god
• देव: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• आदौ: in the beginning
• आदौ: Kāla/Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Temporal setting)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययीभूत (locative used adverbially)

• भैरवनाम: the name ‘Bhairava’
• भैरवनाम: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भैरव + नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (नाम)

• अभृत्: bore, held
• अभृत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भृ (धातु)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार (Aorist), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मन्वन्तरान्तरे: in another manvantara
• मन्वन्तरान्तरे: Adhikarana (Location/Time locus)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्वन्तर + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अतीते: when (it) had passed
• अतीते: Adhikarana-viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अतीत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying मन्वन्तरान्तरे)

• प्रतिष्ठे: at the consecration
• प्रतिष्ठे: Adhikarana (Occasion/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रतिष्ठा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पुनःपुनः: again and again
• पुनःपुनः: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनःपुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्त-क्रियाविशेषण (reduplicated adverb)

Speaker

Brahmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Somēśvara/Somnātha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nishānātha (epithet used for the addressee; likely Soma addressing a ‘Lord of Night’ epithet contextually, but the passage reads as direct address within the dialogue)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic consecration: Somēśvara once named Bhairava, repeatedly installed at the close of each manvantara; devas witnessing the re-emergence of the liṅga in Prabhāsa.

Characters & Entities

• Somēśvara
• Bhairava
• Manvantara
• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sacred presence is timeless across cosmic cycles; consecration renews the living connection between devotees and the deity in every age.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra via the exaltation of Somēśvara, linked to ancient Bhairava identity and recurring cosmic renewal.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Repeated pratiṣṭhā (re-establishment/consecration) of Somēśvara at cosmic transitions (Manvantara intervals).