Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

एवं वर्षसहस्राणि समतीतानि भूरिशः । तस्य जाप्यपरस्यैव अमृतत्वं गतस्य च

Transliteration

evaṃ varṣasahasrāṇi samatītāni bhūriśaḥ | tasya jāpyaparasyaiva amṛtatvaṃ gatasya ca

Translation

Ainsi passèrent, maintes fois, des milliers d’années ; et pour lui—entièrement voué au japa—advint aussi l’état d’immortalité.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus, in this manner
• एवम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverb of manner)

• वर्षसहस्राणि: thousands of years
• वर्षसहस्राणि: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; बहुवचन (neuter; nominative/accusative plural); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वर्षाणां सहस्राणि)

• समतीतानि: elapsed, passed
• समतीतानि: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + अति + इ (धातु) → समतीत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; बहुवचन (past participle; neuter nom/acc pl)

• भूरिशः: many times; greatly
• भूरिशः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भूरिशस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/आवृत्तिवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverb: repeatedly/abundantly)

• तस्य: of him/that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचन (genitive singular pronoun)

• जाप्यपरस्य: of the one devoted to japa
• जाप्यपरस्य: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जाप्य + पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचन (genitive singular); तत्पुरुषः (जाप्ये परः = devoted to japa)

• एव: indeed, only
• एव: Nipāta (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (indeclinable particle of emphasis)

• अमृतत्वम्: immortality
• अमृतत्वम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमृतत्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (accusative singular)

• गतस्य: of the one who has attained/gone to
• गतस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम् (धातु) → गत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचन (past participle; genitive singular)

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

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa māhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A lone ascetic seated in unwavering posture through the turning of ages—seasons cycling, stars wheeling—his lips softly moving in japa; a subtle aura suggests the dawning of ‘amṛtatva’.

Characters & Entities

• Japa
• Amṛtatva (deathlessness)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Persevering japa across long duration culminates in transcending ordinary mortality and limitation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra is the sacred setting where such extraordinary japa is portrayed as bearing supreme fruit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Single-pointed, long-term commitment to japa (jāpyaparatā) as a core discipline.