Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मविष्ण्वर्करुद्राणां माहात्म्यं भुवनस्य च । संहारश्च प्रदृश्येत पुराणं पञ्चलक्षणम्

Transliteration

brahmaviṣṇvarkarudrāṇāṃ māhātmyaṃ bhuvanasya ca | saṃhāraśca pradṛśyeta purāṇaṃ pañcalakṣaṇam

Translation

On y voit aussi la grandeur de Brahmā, de Viṣṇu, du Soleil et de Rudra, ainsi que la nature des mondes et leur dissolution (saṃhāra) ; ainsi le Purāṇa est reconnu par ses cinq marques.

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मविष्ण्वर्करुद्राणाम्: of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Arka (Sun), and Rudra
• ब्रह्मविष्ण्वर्करुद्राणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् + विष्णु + अर्क + रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्वः (collective copulative)

• माहात्म्यम्: greatness, glory
• माहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• भुवनस्य: of the world
• भुवनस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भुवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• संहारः: dissolution, destruction
• संहारः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• प्रदृश्येत: should be seen/appears
• प्रदृश्येत: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + दृश् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• पुराणम्: a Purāṇa
• पुराणम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुराण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• पञ्चलक्षणम्: having five characteristics
• पञ्चलक्षणम्: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च + लक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (numerical compound)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvija-ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic tableau: Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Sūrya, and Rudra shown with their emblems, above layered worlds (lokas), with a dissolving oceanic pralaya motif at the base—while sages listen to the exposition.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Viṣṇu
• Arka (Sūrya)
• Rudra
• saṃhāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇas are not mere stories; they reveal divine glory and the cosmic cycle, guiding devotion and dharmic understanding.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Prabhāsa Māhātmya context remains in the background; this verse is primarily theological and cosmological.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it outlines Purāṇic subject matter.