Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

तेषामाद्यो निशानाथ प्रभासेऽहं व्यवस्थितः । कल्पेकल्पे निशानाथ मम नामांतरं भवेत्

Transliteration

teṣāmādyo niśānātha prabhāse'haṃ vyavasthitaḥ | kalpekalpe niśānātha mama nāmāṃtaraṃ bhavet

Translation

Parmi ces tīrtha, ô Seigneur de la Nuit, je suis établi le premier à Prabhāsa. Et à chaque kalpa, ô Seigneur de la Nuit, mon nom devient autre.

Word by Word

• तेषाम्: of those
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• आद्यः: the first
• आद्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• निशानाथ: O Lord of the night (Moon)
• निशानाथ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निशानाथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• प्रभासे: in Prabhāsa
• प्रभासे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• व्यवस्थितः: am established/abide
• व्यवस्थितः: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + अव + स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कल्पे: in (each) aeon
• कल्पे: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• कल्पे: in (each) aeon
• कल्पे: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन (पुनरुक्ति)

• निशानाथ: O Moon
• निशानाथ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निशानाथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• नाम-अन्तरम्: another name
• नाम-अन्तरम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (name + other/another); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भवेत्: would be/shall become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Soma (Candra)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nishānātha (Lord of Night) as directly addressed

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A visionary hierarchy: Prabhāsa enthroned as the first tīrtha; a scroll of kalpas unfurling, with changing name-banners for the same divine presence across epochs.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa-kṣetra
• Kalpa
• Niśānātha (epithet)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine manifestations are timeless yet adapt across cosmic cycles; Prabhāsa remains a stable sacred anchor even as names change with kalpas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, described as the foremost seat where the speaker is established.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the focus is on cosmic-time theology (kalpa) and the permanence of Prabhāsa’s sanctity.