Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

भूतीश्वरेति नामास्य पूर्वं च परिकीर्तितम् । क्षेमेशेति कलौ देवि तस्य नाम प्रकीर्तितम्

Transliteration

bhūtīśvareti nāmāsya pūrvaṃ ca parikīrtitam | kṣemeśeti kalau devi tasya nāma prakīrtitam

Translation

इस देव का नाम पहले ‘भूतीश्वर’ कहा जाता था; परंतु कलियुग में, हे देवी, उसका नाम ‘क्षेमेश’ के रूप में प्रसिद्ध है।

Word by Word

• भूतीश्वर-इति: ‘(called) Bhūtīśvara’
• भूतीश्वर-इति: Sambandha (Naming marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भूतीश्वर (प्रातिपदिक) + इति (अव्यय)
• Form: इति-प्रयोगः नामनिर्देशे (quotative for naming)

• नाम: name
• नाम: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• अस्य: of this (place/deity)
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• पूर्वम्: formerly
• पूर्वम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्वम् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-नपुंसक)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• परिकीर्तितम्: was proclaimed/mentioned
• परिकीर्तितम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परि + कीर्त् (धातु) + परिकीर्तित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); ‘was proclaimed’ (impersonal/passive sense)

• क्षेमेश-इति: ‘(called) Kṣemeśa’
• क्षेमेश-इति: Sambandha (Naming marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्षेमेश (प्रातिपदिक) + इति (अव्यय)
• Form: इति-प्रयोगः नामनिर्देशे

• कलौ: in the Kali age
• कलौ: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); ‘कलियुगे’

• देवि: O goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तस्य: of it/of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• नाम: name
• नाम: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रकीर्तितम्: is proclaimed/declared
• प्रकीर्तितम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + कीर्त् (धातु) + प्रकीर्तित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); ‘is proclaimed’ (passive/impersonal)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kṣemeśvara (formerly Bhūtīśvara)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic tableau: Śiva explains to Devī the two names of the same liṅga—Bhūtīśvara (former) and Kṣemeśa (Kali-yuga)—with a subtle time-layer motif (ancient vs present).

Characters & Entities

• Bhūtīśvara
• Kṣemeśa/Kṣemeśvara
• Kali-yuga
• Devī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine names reveal the same Lord’s grace across ages—here emphasizing kṣema (welfare, peace) in Kali-yuga.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, focusing on the shrine of Kṣemeśvara (also known earlier as Bhūtīśvara).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed in this verse; it establishes the deity’s name and Kali-yuga appellation.