Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

यावंति देहरोमाणि इन्द्रास्तावन्त एव च । क्रमादिन्द्रे विनष्टे तु तल्लोमपतनं भवेत्

Transliteration

yāvaṃti deharomāṇi indrāstāvanta eva ca | kramādindre vinaṣṭe tu tallomapatanaṃ bhavet

Translation

Autant il y a de poils sur le corps, autant il y a d’Indra. Et lorsque chaque Indra périt selon l’ordre, un poil correspondant tombe.

Word by Word

• यावन्ति: as many as
• यावन्ति: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यावत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन; परिमाणवाचक विशेषण (देहरोमाणि)

• देहरोमाणि: hairs of the body
• देहरोमाणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह + रोमन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देहस्य रोमाणि)

• इन्द्राः: Indras
• इन्द्राः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन

• तावन्तः: so many
• तावन्तः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तावत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन; परिमाणवाचक विशेषण (इन्द्राः)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Nipata (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चय/अवधारणार्थक (indeed/just)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (and)

• क्रमात्: in sequence, gradually
• क्रमात्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे ‘क्रमात्’ = क्रमशः

• इन्द्रे: when/with Indra (being)
• इन्द्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• विनष्टे: when (he) has perished
• विनष्टे: Sati-saptami (Locative absolute/सति-सप्तमी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नश् (धातु) + वि + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (इन्द्रे विनष्टे)

• तु: but, then
• तु: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक (but/indeed)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (लोमपतनम्)

• लोमपतनम्: falling of the hairs
• लोमपतनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोमन् + पतन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (लोमानां पतनम्)

• भवेत्: would occur
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Lomaśeśvara (Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A visionary tableau: innumerable Indras appear like sparks across a cosmic body; as each Indra’s term ends, a single hair falls—symbolizing the minute yet inevitable markers of time’s passage.

Characters & Entities

• Indra
• Lomaśa (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It frames longevity and time as governed by cosmic order, where even the rule of Indra is cyclical and impermanent.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, in the context of the Lomaśeśvara shrine’s greatness.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed in this verse; it provides a cosmological explanation linked to Lomaśa’s extraordinary lifespan.