Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

कालेन महता गौरी सर्वांगेणाथ साऽभवत् । ततो विहस्य भगवानुवाच शशिशेखरः

Transliteration

kālena mahatā gaurī sarvāṃgeṇātha sā'bhavat | tato vihasya bhagavānuvāca śaśiśekharaḥ

Translation

Après un long temps, elle devint Gaurī en chacun de ses membres. Alors le Seigneur Bienheureux, Celui dont le croissant de lune orne la tête, sourit et parla.

Word by Word

• kālena: with time, over time
• kālena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया एकवचन — Masculine, Instrumental Singular

• mahatā: great, long
• mahatā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया एकवचन — Masculine, Instrumental Singular; विशेषणम् (kālena)

• gaurī: Gaurī (Pārvatī)
• gaurī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaurī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative Singular

• sarvāṅgeṇa: with all her limbs, wholly
• sarvāṅgeṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva + aṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया एकवचन — Neuter, Instrumental Singular; अवयव-सम्बन्धे “with the whole body/ in all limbs”

• atha: then, and
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/अनन्तरार्थक-निपात) — indeclinable particle “then/and”

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative Singular

• abhavat: became
• abhavat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धा. √भू)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Imperfect/Past, 3rd person singular

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अपादान/अनन्तरार्थक) — indeclinable adverb “thereupon/from that”

• vihasya: having laughed
• vihasya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + has (धा. √हस्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययभावे), परस्मैपद-धातोः — Gerund/absolutive “having laughed”

• bhagavān: the Lord
• bhagavān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative Singular

• uvāca: said, spoke
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धा. √वच्)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परिपूर्ण), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Perfect, 3rd person singular

• śaśiśekharaḥ: Śaśiśekhara (moon-crested one, Śiva)
• śaśiśekharaḥ: Apposition (Samānādhikaraṇa/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaśi + śekhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative Singular; उपाधि-नाम (भगवतः)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaurīśvara at Prabhāsa

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣi/audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Satī now fully Gaurī—radiant in every limb—stands near the liṅga; Śiva as Śaśiśekhara appears or is sensed, smiling gently; the atmosphere shifts from austerity to tender divine acknowledgment, as if the shrine itself brightens.

Characters & Entities

• Gaurī
• Śaśiśekhara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When tapas matures, divine response follows; transformation culminates in direct divine acknowledgment and blessing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra remains the implied sanctified setting where Devī’s tapas reaches fulfillment.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates the completion of tapas and Śiva’s gracious response.