Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

प्रकटं च सुरश्रेष्ठ कपाले श्वरसंज्ञितः । तस्मात्त्वं भविता रुद्र क्षेत्रेऽस्मिन्द्वादशोऽपरः

Transliteration

prakaṭaṃ ca suraśreṣṭha kapāle śvarasaṃjñitaḥ | tasmāttvaṃ bhavitā rudra kṣetre'smindvādaśo'paraḥ

Translation

Oh el mejor entre los dioses, aquí te has manifestado claramente con el nombre de «Kapāleśvara». Por ello, oh Rudra, en este campo sagrado serás otro—un duodécimo adicional—(una manifestación más).

Word by Word

• प्रकटम्: manifestly
• प्रकटम्: Prakāra-adhikaraṇa (Manner adjunct/प्रकाराधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रकट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (adverbial accusative: manifestly/openly)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (and)

• सुरश्रेष्ठ: O best of gods
• सुरश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (सुराणां श्रेष्ठः); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• कपाले: in Kapāla (place/kapāla)
• कपाले: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन (locative singular: in/at Kapāla)

• ईश्वर-संज्ञितः: called ‘Īśvara’
• ईश्वर-संज्ञितः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक) + संज्ञित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (ईश्वर इति संज्ञा यस्य); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (masc. nominative singular: named ‘Īśvara’)

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तस्मात् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक: तद्)
• Form: हेतुवाचक-अव्यय (ablative used as indeclinable: therefore/from that)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन (nominative singular)

• भविता: will become
• भविता: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: तृच्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (periphrastic future agent noun used predicatively), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘will become/will be’

• रुद्र: O Rudra
• रुद्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन (vocative singular)

• क्षेत्रे: in the sacred place/field
• क्षेत्रे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन (locative singular: in the sacred field)

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikaraṇa (Specifier/अधिकरणविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषण (locative singular: in this)

• द्वादशः: the twelfth
• द्वादशः: Karta (Predicate nominal/कर्तृपूरक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वादशन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; संख्यावाचक-नाम (masc. nominative singular: the twelfth)

• अपरः: another
• अपरः: Karta (Qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (masc. nominative singular: another)

Speaker

Brahmā (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kapāleśvara

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva stands or emerges as Kapāleśvara—iconography hinting at kapāla association—while sages/devas acknowledge him as a manifest Rudra, ‘another twelfth’, within the sacred field.

Characters & Entities

• Kapāleśvara
• Śiva
• Rudra
• kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A kṣetra becomes uniquely holy when the deity is said to manifest there with a specific name and function.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kapāleśvara-kṣetra (the field where Śiva is known as Kapāleśvara).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it establishes the deity-name and the special status of the kṣetra.