Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

ततस्तलं हनिष्यामि क्षण मात्रेण भैरवम्

Transliteration

tatastalaṃ haniṣyāmi kṣaṇa mātreṇa bhairavam

Translation

Alors, en un seul instant, je frapperai le sol et ferai jaillir la puissance de Bhairava.

Word by Word

• ततः: then/thereupon
• ततः: Hetu/Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्-प्रभव (ablatival adverb)

• तलम्: the surface/ground
• तलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• हनिष्यामि: I will strike/kill
• हनिष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• क्षण: in a moment
• क्षण: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; (मात्रेण इत्यनेन सह कालपरिमाणे)

• मात्रेण: by the measure of (only)
• मात्रेण: Karana (Measure/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; परिमाणवाचक

• भैरवम्: Bhairava
• भैरवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भैरव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva (deduced from immediate context: response to Viṣṇu’s request, followed by Īśvara-uvāca in the next verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Taptodaka / Bhairava-prabhava-kuṇḍa (implied)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rudra/Bhairava, fierce yet controlled, raises hand/weapon and strikes the ground; from the impact point, heat/steam and water begin to surge—an emergent hot spring/kuṇḍa; devas watch in awe.

Characters & Entities

• Bhairava
• Śiva (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is revealed through divine will; Śiva’s fierce, protective energy (Bhairava) can also be beneficent, creating holy resources.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse serves the origin-story sequence culminating in Taptodakuṇḍa at Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription; it narrates the divine act that enables later bathing and tīrtha practice.