Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

शिवस्तु प्रोच्यते वेदो नामपर्यायवाचकैः । तस्य चात्मस्वरूपं तु शतरुद्रं प्रकीर्तितम्

Transliteration

śivastu procyate vedo nāmaparyāyavācakaiḥ | tasya cātmasvarūpaṃ tu śatarudraṃ prakīrtitam

Translation

पर्यायवाची नामों द्वारा शिव को ही ‘वेद’ कहा गया है; और ‘शतरुद्र’ को उनका आत्मस्वरूप घोषित किया गया है।

Word by Word

• शिवः: Śiva
• शिवः: Karta/Predicate (कर्ता/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्ता/विधेय

• तु: indeed
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात

• प्रोच्यते: is called/said
• प्रोच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• वेदः: the Veda
• वेदः: Predicate nominal (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय (predicate nominative)

• नामपर्यायवाचकैः: by words denoting (his) names and synonyms
• नामपर्यायवाचकैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाम (प्रातिपदिक) + पर्याय (प्रातिपदिक) + वाचक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; करण (instrumental: ‘by name-synonym-expressing (words/epithets)’)

• तस्य: of him/of that
• तस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपात

• आत्मस्वरूपम्: (his) essential nature
• आत्मस्वरूपम्: Karma/Predicate (कर्म/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + स्वरूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अत्र विधेय-रूपेण (what is proclaimed as his essential nature)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात

• शतरुद्रम्: Śatarudra
• शतरुद्रम्: Predicate nominal (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शतरुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय (आत्मस्वरूपम् इत्यस्य)

• प्रकीर्तितम्: is proclaimed
• प्रकीर्तितम्: Kriya (Predicative participle/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + कीर्त् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि-भावे ‘proclaimed’

Speaker

Śiva (addressing Devī/Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa Kṣetra (Śatarudra-svarūpa teaching)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva as cosmic scripture: a luminous Śiva whose body is inscribed with Vedic syllables; from his heart radiates the Śatarudra hymn as a garland of names; sages hold palm-leaf manuscripts, listening in stillness.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Veda
• Śatarudra/Śatarudrīya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Rudra-hymn (Śatarudrīya) is elevated as a direct revelation of Śiva’s own nature, integrating Vedic authority with Śaiva devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra is the running context; this verse supplies the doctrinal foundation for the mantric practices praised there.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Not a direct prescription; it establishes why Śatarudrīya recitation is uniquely authoritative and efficacious.