Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

यश्चक्रं वर्त्तयत्येको मानुषाणां मनोमयम् । प्रभासे स कथं कालं चक्रे चक्रभृतां वरः

Transliteration

yaścakraṃ varttayatyeko mānuṣāṇāṃ manomayam | prabhāse sa kathaṃ kālaṃ cakre cakrabhṛtāṃ varaḥ

Translation

Lui qui, seul, met en mouvement la « roue » mentale des affaires humaines : comment le meilleur des porteurs du disque passa-t-il le temps à Prabhāsa ?

Word by Word

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Relative pronoun, Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• चक्रम्: wheel; (here) cycle/order
• चक्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• वर्तयति: causes to turn; sets in motion
• वर्तयति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत् (धातु) + णिच् (प्रेरण) → वर्तय (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Present indicative, 3rd person, Singular

• एकः: alone, single
• एकः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• मानुषाणाम्: of humans
• मानुषाणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन — Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• मनोमयम्: made of mind; mental
• मनोमयम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मनस् + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (मनसा मयम्/मनःमयम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Tatpurusha, Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• प्रभासे: in Prabhāsa
• प्रभासे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Masculine, Locative, Singular

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Pronoun, Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रश्नार्थक क्रियाविशेषण — Interrogative adverb

• कालम्: time; (here) death-time/end
• कालम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• चक्रे: did/made
• चक्रे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Perfect, 3rd person, Singular (Ātmanepada)

• चक्रभृताम्: of the discus-bearers
• चक्रभृताम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र + भृत् (प्रातिपदिक; √भृ धातोः कृत्)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (चक्रं बिभर्ति इति), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन — Tatpurusha, Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• वरः: the best
• वरः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/Śaunaka-group (typical)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-sage poses a reverent question: the cosmic Cakra-bearer who sets the wheel of human destiny in motion—how did he ‘pass time’ at Prabhāsa? The background suggests the western sea-coast, sacred groves, and the aura of Somnātha/Prabhāsa.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Viṣṇu (Cakrabhṛt)
• Prabhāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time and worldly cycles are ultimately under divine governance; sacred places like Prabhāsa become the setting where that governance is revealed through līlā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa is emphasized as the locale where Viṣṇu’s actions and ‘passing of time’ carry special Purāṇic significance.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse continues the inquiry leading into Prabhāsa’s sacred-history exposition.