Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

एतस्मिन्नेव काले तु भित्त्वा चैव वसुन्धराम् । उत्थितं सहसा लिंगं तदेव वरवर्णिनि

Transliteration

etasminneva kāle tu bhittvā caiva vasundharām | utthitaṃ sahasā liṃgaṃ tadeva varavarṇini

Translation

À cet instant même, ô dame au beau teint, ce même Liṅga surgit soudain, fendant la terre elle-même.

Word by Word

• एतस्मिन्: in this
• एतस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Masculine/Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/अधिकरण), एकवचन (Singular), सर्वनाम

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• काले: at the time
• काले: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/अधिकरण), एकवचन (Singular)

• तु: but/and
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• भित्त्वा: having split
• भित्त्वा: Kriya (Non-finite verb; prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भिद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया; धातु: भिद्

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

• एव: indeed
• एव: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• वसुन्धराम्: the earth
• वसुन्धराम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसुन्धरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन (Singular)

• उत्थितम्: risen, emerged
• उत्थितम्: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa / Predicate adjective (विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत् + स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); धातु: स्था, उपसर्ग: उत्

• सहसा: suddenly
• सहसा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहसा (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• लिङ्गम्: the liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/कर्ता), एकवचन (Singular)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Anaphoric determiner (सम्बन्ध/निर्देशक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular), सर्वनाम

• एव: indeed
• एव: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• वरवर्णिनि: O fair-complexioned lady
• वरवर्णिनि: Sambodhana (Address/Vocative sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर + वर्णिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/संबोधन-रूपेण प्रयोगः), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारय (वरा वर्णिनी)

Speaker

Sūta (contextual narration; vocative suggests address to a female listener within the frame-story)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Liṅga-prādurbhāva-sthāna in Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Varavarṇinī (addressed lady)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The earth cracks open with a radiant fissure; from it rises a blazing, auspicious liṅga, surrounded by dust and light. The sages recoil in awe then bow; Śiva’s presence frames the miracle. The scene balances cosmic power with sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places are marked by divine self-manifestation; the holy is not merely built but revealed.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vṛddhaprabhāsa within the larger Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse establishes the miraculous basis for later tīrtha observances.