Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

कल्पेकल्पे पृथग्भावं कारणैरस्ति भामिनि । असंख्यातं च तद्वक्तुं शक्यं नैव मया प्रिये

Transliteration

kalpekalpe pṛthagbhāvaṃ kāraṇairasti bhāmini | asaṃkhyātaṃ ca tadvaktuṃ śakyaṃ naiva mayā priye

Translation

«Ô toi qui rayonnes, à chaque kalpa la situation diffère, selon des causes variées. Et puisqu’elles sont innombrables, bien-aimée, il ne m’est pas possible de toutes les raconter.»

Word by Word

• कल्पे: in a kalpa
• कल्पे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative)

• कल्पे: in (each) kalpa
• कल्पे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (kalpe kalpe = each kalpa)

• पृथग्भावम्: separateness, distinct state
• पृथग्भावम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथग्भाव (प्रातिपदिक; पृथक् + भाव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (object)

• कारणैः: by causes
• कारणैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; करण (instrument)

• अस्ति: is/exists
• अस्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• भामिनि: O lovely one
• भामिनि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भामिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; संबोधन

• असंख्यातम्: countless
• असंख्यातम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: असंख्यात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘पृथग्भावम्’/or implied ‘तत्’)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; सर्वनाम; ‘वक्तुम्’ का कर्म

• वक्तुम्: to speak/tell
• वक्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive), अव्ययवत्; अर्थ: ‘to speak’

• शक्यम्: possible
• शक्यम्: Kriya-visheshana (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शक्य (प्रातिपदिक; √शक् से)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; भावे प्रयोगे विधेय (predicative)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation particle)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• मया: by me
• मया: Kartr (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करण/कर्ता (agent in passive sense)

• प्रिये: O dear one
• प्रिये: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; संबोधन

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva gestures toward the immensity of kalpas: each cycle differs, causes are countless; the scene expands from intimate dialogue to a cosmic panorama of repeating worlds and moons.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Pārvatī
• Kalpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reality unfolds across vast cycles; humility is needed because cosmic causation is multi-layered and immeasurable.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra; the discourse occurs within its māhātmya narrative setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a cosmological clarification about kalpas and causality.