Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

रैवतो नाम राजाऽभूद्ब्रह्मांडे सचराचरे । जगद्योनिर्जिगायेदं तल्लिंगस्य प्रभावतः

Transliteration

raivato nāma rājā'bhūdbrahmāṃḍe sacarācare | jagadyonirjigāyedaṃ talliṃgasya prabhāvataḥ

Translation

In diesem Brahmāṇḍa, mit allem Beweglichen und Unbeweglichen, gab es einen König namens Raivata. Durch die Macht jenes Liṅga bezwang er diese Welt, den Ursprung des Weltalls.

Word by Word

• raivataḥ: Raivata
• raivataḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: raivata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• nāma: by name
• nāma: Visheshana (Naming particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; नाम-शब्दः ‘called/named’ (indeclinable usage)

• rājā: king
• rājā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• abhūt: was/became
• abhūt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• brahmāṇḍe: in the universe
• brahmāṇḍe: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman + aṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; समासः—ब्रह्मणः अण्डम् (cosmic egg/universe)

• sa-carācare: with moving and unmoving (beings)
• sa-carācare: Adhikarana (Locative qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (सह) + cara + acara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; द्वन्द्वः—चर + अचर (moving and unmoving); ‘स’ उपसर्गवत् = ‘with’; अधिकरणे विशेषणम्

• jagadyoniḥ: the source of the world
• jagadyoniḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat + yoni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—जगतः योनिः (source of the world)

• jigāya: conquered/overcame
• jigāya: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ji (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• idam: this
• idam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• tat: that
• tat: Sambandha (Genitive qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; सर्वनाम; ‘liṅgasya’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• liṅgasya: of the liṅga
• liṅgasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• prabhāvataḥ: due to the power
• prabhāvataḥ: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान-हेतु), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे—‘प्रभावतः’ = due to the power

Speaker

Śiva (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Raivateśvara (liṅga)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Varavarṇinī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: King Raivata, crowned and armed, offers homage to the liṅga; behind him banners and subdued foes symbolize conquest achieved through sacred power rather than brutality.

Characters & Entities

• Raivata (King)
• Brahmāṇḍa (cosmos)
• Liṅga (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual power supports righteous sovereignty; devotion to the liṅga is portrayed as the hidden strength behind worldly victory.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, via the fame and power of the Raivateśvara-associated liṅga.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is described; the verse attributes royal success to the liṅga’s prabhāva.