Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

लिंगमूर्ध्नः पतंत्या मे कालो जातो महाद्युते । तथापि क्षिति पृष्ठं तु न प्राप्तास्मि कथंचन

Transliteration

liṃgamūrdhnaḥ pataṃtyā me kālo jāto mahādyute | tathāpi kṣiti pṛṣṭhaṃ tu na prāptāsmi kathaṃcana

Translation

Ô toi d’un éclat immense, tandis que je tombais du sommet du liṅga, un temps très long s’est écoulé pour moi ; et pourtant je n’ai nullement atteint la surface de la terre.

Word by Word

• लिङ्गमूर्ध्नः: of the liṅga’s top
• लिङ्गमूर्ध्नः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + मूर्धन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘head/top of the liṅga’); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• पतन्त्या: by (my) falling / while falling
• पतन्त्या: Karaṇa (Instrument/means)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (वर्तमान कृदन्त/Present participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; ‘while falling/by falling’

• मे: my
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive) एकवचन (enclitic)

• कालः: time
• कालः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• जातः: has elapsed/has occurred
• जातः: Pradhāna-nāmapada (Predicate with ‘kālaḥ’)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘has arisen/has passed (become)’

• महाद्युते: O greatly radiant one
• महाद्युते: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + द्युति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समास (‘one of great splendor’); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• तथापि: nevertheless
• तथापि: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय) + अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय-समुच्चय (concessive adverb): ‘even so/nevertheless’

• क्षिति: earth
• क्षिति: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षिति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘earth’ (as qualifier of pṛṣṭham)

• पृष्ठम्: surface/back (ground)
• पृष्ठम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Emphasis/contrast)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थक

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• प्राप्तास्मि: I have reached
• प्राप्तास्मि: Kriyā (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग: प्र-; अर्थ: ‘I have reached’

• कथंचन: in any way at all
• कथंचन: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय) + चन (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), ‘in any way/at all’ (emphatic)

Speaker

Ketakī flower (continuing)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic liṅga-pillar rises beyond sight; a falling ketakī/flower speaks of endless descent and time passing without reaching earth; Brahmā above, Viṣṇu below implied.

Characters & Entities

• Ketakī flower
• Śiva (as the Liṅga)
• Brahmā (listener)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The divine reality exceeds spatial and temporal measures; human-like calculations fail before Śiva’s infinitude.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse intensifies the liṅga-mahātmyā theme.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.