Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

अथ लोपं समापन्नः प्रासादः शांकरः स्थितः । कालेन महता देवि पांसुभिर्मारुतोद्भवैः

Transliteration

atha lopaṃ samāpannaḥ prāsādaḥ śāṃkaraḥ sthitaḥ | kālena mahatā devi pāṃsubhirmārutodbhavaiḥ

Translation

Alors, ô Déesse, au fil d’un temps immensément long, l’édifice du temple śaiva tomba en ruine, couvert et obstrué par la poussière soulevée par les vents.

Word by Word

• अथ: then; now
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रमसूचक/आरम्भसूचक (sequence/transition particle)

• लोपम्: decay; disappearance
• लोपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• समापन्नः: having reached; fallen into
• समापन्नः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-आप् (धातु) + अपन्न (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/क्तवत्-प्रत्ययार्थ); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• प्रासादः: palace; temple-building
• प्रासादः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रासाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• शांकरः: of Śaṅkara; Śaiva
• शांकरः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शांकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (शङ्कर-सम्बन्धी)

• स्थितः: stood; remained
• स्थितः: Kriya (Predicative state/क्रिया-भाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) + स्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण/विधेय

• कालेन: by time; with time
• कालेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• महता: great; long
• महता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (कालेन सह)

• देवि: O goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• पांसुभिः: by dust; with dust
• पांसुभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पांसु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• मारुतोद्भवैः: wind-raised; born of the wind
• मारुतोद्भवैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मारुत + उद्भव (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (मारुतात् उद्भवाः = wind-born); पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (पांसुभिः)

Speaker

Narrator addressing Devī (listener implied by 'devi')

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Śaṅkara-prāsāda)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A once-glorious Śaiva prāsāda stands half-buried; wind-driven dust piles against pillars, lamps extinguished, carvings obscured—time’s quiet devastation in a coastal landscape.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Śiva-prāsāda (temple)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even sacred structures can be veiled by time, yet their sanctity remains; dharma calls for remembrance and renewal of holy places.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, with emphasis on a Śaiva shrine whose greatness persists despite physical decline.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, the verse sets up the need for cleaning/uncovering and renewed worship of a neglected Śiva shrine.