Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

महाकल्पे तु सञ्जाते ब्रह्मणः प्रति संचरे । नामभावं भवेदन्यद्देवि लिंगे पुनःपुनः

Transliteration

mahākalpe tu sañjāte brahmaṇaḥ prati saṃcare | nāmabhāvaṃ bhavedanyaddevi liṃge punaḥpunaḥ

Translation

Quand survient un grand éon et que Brahmā entre dans ses cycles récurrents, ô Devī, le liṅga revêt sans cesse des états divers de nom et d’appellation.

Word by Word

• mahākalpe: in the great aeon
• mahākalpe: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + kalpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (mahān kalpaḥ), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (contrast/emphasis)

• sañjāte: when (it is) arisen
• sañjāte: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam + jan (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (भूतकर्मणि/PPP) ‘सञ्जात’ = arisen; पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (सप्तमी-absolute/locative absolute sense)

• brahmaṇaḥ: of Brahmā
• brahmaṇaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन

• prati: towards, with respect to
• prati: Sambandha (Relation/प्रति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prati (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपसर्गसदृश/पूर्वपद; preposition)

• saṃcare: at the transition (cycle)
• saṃcare: Adhikarana (Occasion/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sam + car (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘संचर’ = movement/transition (here: dissolution/transition)

• nāmabhāvam: a (particular) name-state
• nāmabhāvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāma (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (nāma-bhāvaḥ = state/name-condition), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• bhavet: would become
• bhavet: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• anyat: another, different
• anyat: Karma (Predicate qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• devi: O देवी
• devi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• liṅge: in the liṅga
• liṅge: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Sambandha (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (पुनरावृत्ति/adverb)

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Sambandha (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (पुनरावृत्ति)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Somnātha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī/Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic tableau: Brahmā’s cycles turning like a wheel in the sky while the Prabhāsa liṅga stands unmoved, surrounded by shifting halos bearing different divine names.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Brahmā
• Liṅga
• Devī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine presence is constant, while names and outward designations shift with cosmic time—inviting devotion beyond mere labels.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The statement supports the Somēśvara/Prabhāsa-kṣetra liṅga tradition by explaining how its names vary across kalpas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it provides cosmological context for why a liṅga may be known by multiple names in different ages.