Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

शंकर उवाच । मम लिंगं सहस्राक्ष उत्थितं तु पुनःपुनः । वज्रेणाच्छादयत्येव भयेन महता वृतः

Transliteration

śaṃkara uvāca | mama liṃgaṃ sahasrākṣa utthitaṃ tu punaḥpunaḥ | vajreṇācchādayatyeva bhayena mahatā vṛtaḥ

Translation

शंकर बोले—“हे सहस्राक्ष (इन्द्र)! मेरा लिङ्ग बार-बार ऊपर उठता है; पर तुम महान भय से घिरे होकर उसे वज्र से ढँकते ही रहते हो।”

Word by Word

• शंकर: Śaṅkara
• शंकर: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपदम्

• मम: my; of me
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• लिंगम्: liṅga; emblem
• लिंगम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• सहस्राक्ष: O thousand-eyed one
• सहस्राक्ष: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra + akṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (sahasrāṇi akṣāṇi yasya)

• उत्थितम्: arisen; risen up
• उत्थितम्: Visheshana (Adjectival predicate/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ut-√sthā (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'arisen/raised' (agreeing with लिंगम्)

• तु: indeed; but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक निपात (particle: 'but/indeed')

• पुनःपुनः: again and again
• पुनःपुनः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punar + punar (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्त-अव्यय (reduplicated adverb)

• वज्रेण: with the thunderbolt
• वज्रेण: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vajra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (क्वचित् पुंलिङ्गेऽपि); तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• आच्छादयति: covers; conceals
• आच्छादयति: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√chad (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपदम्

• एव: indeed; just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक निपात (emphatic particle)

• भयेन: by fear; out of fear
• भयेन: Hetu/Karaṇa (Cause/Instrumental)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• महता: great
• महता: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम् (qualifier of भयेन)

• वृतः: enveloped; covered
• वृतः: Karta (Subject complement/predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √vṛ (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); 'covered/enveloped' (agreeing with implied agent, e.g., इन्द्रः)

Speaker

Śaṅkara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Somnātha/Prabhāsa-liṅga tradition)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śaṅkara speaks, addressing Indra (Sahasrākṣa): a liṅga repeatedly rises, glowing upward, while Indra—anxious—presses a thunderbolt-like cover over it; tension between revelation and concealment.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Śiva-liṅga
• Sahasrākṣa (Indra)
• Vajra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine reality cannot be permanently concealed; fear-driven suppression contrasts with the Liṅga’s recurring manifestation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse supports the Prabhāsa-kṣetra liṅga legend—explaining why a liṅga there is said to be ‘covered by vajra’.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it is etiological narration about the liṅga’s concealment and repeated rising.