Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

अक्षयाश्चाव्ययाश्चैते सप्तकल्पानि सुन्दरि । देवि किं बहुनोक्तेन वर्णितेन पुनःपुनः

Transliteration

akṣayāścāvyayāścaite saptakalpāni sundari | devi kiṃ bahunoktena varṇitena punaḥpunaḥ

Translation

Diese sind unvergänglich und unerschöpflich für sieben Kalpas, o Schöne. O Devī, wozu noch mehr Worte — warum es immer wieder aufs Neue beschreiben?

Word by Word

• akṣayāḥ: imperishable
• akṣayāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• avyayāḥ: unchanging, inexhaustible
• avyayāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: avyaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• ete: these
• ete: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• sapta: seven
• sapta: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sapta (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्या-विशेषण (indeclinable numeral used adjectivally)

• kalpāni: kalpas, aeons
• kalpāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• sundari: O beautiful one
• sundari: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sundarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• devi: O goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• kim: what?
• kim: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम (interrogative)

• bahunā: with much (speech)
• bahunā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying)

• uktena: by (many) words, by saying
• uktena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ukta (कृदन्त; √vac (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle used as noun: 'what is said')

• varṇitena: by (what is) described
• varṇitena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṇita (कृदन्त; √varṇ (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle used as noun: 'description')

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/आवृत्तिवाचक अव्यय (adverb of repetition)

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/आवृत्तिवाचक अव्यय (adverb of repetition)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (enduring stations)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (addressed as ‘Sundarī’, ‘Devī’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calm closing tableau: Devī listening as the narrator gestures toward the sacred stations; above them a cosmic clock/cycle motif fades, while the highlighted stations remain luminous, signifying ‘akṣaya’.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Kalpa (cosmic cycle)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The greatness of the kṣetra is presented as so established and enduring that repeated praise still falls short.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra and its enduring sacred features associated with Daityasūdana/Viṣṇu-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it reinforces the certainty and permanence of the site’s sanctity.