Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

पूर्वकल्पे महादेवि ब्रह्मेश्वर इति स्मृतः । ब्रह्मणाराधितः पूर्वं वर्षाणामयुतं प्रिये

Transliteration

pūrvakalpe mahādevi brahmeśvara iti smṛtaḥ | brahmaṇārādhitaḥ pūrvaṃ varṣāṇāmayutaṃ priye

Translation

हे महादेवी, पूर्व कल्प में वह ‘ब्रह्मेश्वर’ नाम से स्मरण किया जाता था; प्रिय, प्राचीन काल में ब्रह्मा ने दस हजार वर्षों तक उसकी आराधना की।

Word by Word

• pūrvakalpe: in the former aeon
• pūrvakalpe: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūrva + kalpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—पूर्वः कल्पः यस्मिन् (पूर्व-कल्पे)

• mahādevi: O great goddess
• mahādevi: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahādevī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• brahmeśvaraḥ: Brahmeśvara
• brahmeśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahma + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; समासः—ब्रह्मणः ईश्वरः (ब्रह्म-ईश्वरः)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotative/इति-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: इति-शब्दः; अव्यय, उद्धरण/वाक्यसमाप्तिसूचक (quotative particle)

• smṛtaḥ: was called/known
• smṛtaḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु) + ta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (भूतकर्मणि/कर्मणि प्रयोग), क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अर्थः—‘(सः) स्मृतः’ = was called/remembered

• brahmaṇā: by Brahmā
• brahmaṇā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• ārādhitaḥ: was worshipped
• ārādhitaḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√rādh (धातु) + ta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (भूतकर्मणि); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि—‘(सः) आराधितः’ = was worshipped

• pūrvam: formerly/before
• pūrvam: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (अव्ययीभाव/अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• varṣāṇām: of years
• varṣāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• ayutam: ten thousand
• ayutam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ayuta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; संख्यावाचक (ten-thousand)

• priye: O beloved
• priye: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: priyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Brahmeśvara (pūrvakalpa-nāma)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā performs long worship before a liṅga titled Brahmeśvara: offerings of lotus, water, and sacred grasses; time is suggested by changing skies or a ring of years, while the liṅga remains unchanged.

Characters & Entities

• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
• Brahmā
• Brahmeśvara (Liṅga-name)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even Brahmā attains his cosmic role through sustained worship; devotion (ārādhana) is portrayed as the root of divine accomplishment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, through the liṅga known in a former kalpa as Brahmeśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga worship (ārādhana/pūjā) is implied, exemplified by Brahmā’s long-term devotion.