Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

पुलस्त्य उवाच । ततः संक्षिप्य तल्लिंगं लघु कृत्वा महेश्वरः । अब्रवीत्केशवं भूयः शृणु वाक्यमिदं हरे

Transliteration

pulastya uvāca | tataḥ saṃkṣipya talliṃgaṃ laghu kṛtvā maheśvaraḥ | abravītkeśavaṃ bhūyaḥ śṛṇu vākyamidaṃ hare

Translation

Pulastya berkata: Kemudian Maheśvara mengerutkan Liṅga itu dan menjadikannya kecil, lalu bersabda lagi kepada Keśava: “Dengarlah, wahai Hari, perkataan-Ku ini.”

Word by Word

• पुलस्त्यः: Pulastya
• पुलस्त्यः: Karta (Speaker/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुलस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect); प्रथम-पुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद (3rd person singular)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Sequence)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रम/अपादानार्थक (adverb: ‘then/thereupon’)

• संक्षिप्य: having shortened
• संक्षिप्य: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+क्षिप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive); ‘having contracted/shortened’

• तत्: that
• तत्: Viśeṣaṇa (of liṅgam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• लघु: small
• लघु: Karma-pravacanīya/Result complement
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लघु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular; adverbial/object-complement usage)

• कृत्वा: having made
• कृत्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive); ‘having made’

• महेश्वरः: Maheshvara
• महेश्वरः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• अब्रवीत्: said
• अब्रवीत्: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect); प्रथम-पुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद (3rd person singular)

• केशवम्: to Keshava
• केशवम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केशव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• भूयः: again
• भूयः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भूयः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरर्थक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: ‘again/further’)

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriyā (Imperative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative); मध्यम-पुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद (2nd person singular)

• वाक्यम्: words/speech
• वाक्यम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Viśeṣaṇa (of vākyam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• हरे: O Hari
• हरे: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Vocative, Singular)

Speaker

Pulastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ananta-liṅga (contextual)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (implied) the receiving sage/audience in frame narrative

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pulastya narrates: Śiva compresses the liṅga into a small form; then Śiva turns to Keśava, raising a hand in teaching gesture, inviting him to listen.

Characters & Entities

• Pulastya
• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Keśava (Viṣṇu)
• Hari

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The divine becomes ‘approachable’: the infinite is willingly made small for the sake of dharma, worship, and a sacred site’s establishment.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

Arbuda (the Arbuda Khaṇḍa setting), leading into the later naming of Kṛṣṇatīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Preparation for liṅga-sthāpana (installation) is implied by Śiva contracting the liṅga.