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

Ô le meilleur des dieux, ici tu t’es manifesté au grand jour sous le nom de «Kapāleśvara». Ainsi, ô Rudra, dans ce kṣetra sacré tu seras un autre—un douzième supplémentaire—(une manifestation de plus).

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.