Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

समंतान्मंडलाकारा कर्णिका सा मम प्रिया । तस्यां ये प्राणिनः सर्वे मृताः कालेन पार्वति

Transliteration

samaṃtānmaṃḍalākārā karṇikā sā mama priyā | tasyāṃ ye prāṇinaḥ sarve mṛtāḥ kālena pārvati

Translation

Di sekelilingnya, berbentuk lingkaran, ada ‘Karṇikā’ yang amat Kukasihi. Di dalamnya, wahai Pārvatī, makhluk hidup apa pun yang wafat menurut perjalanan kala…

Word by Word

• samantāt: on all sides, all around
• samantāt: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samantāt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्ग/क्रियाविशेषण (adverb): ‘चारों ओर/सर्वतः’

• maṇḍala-ākārā: circular in form
• maṇḍala-ākārā: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: maṇḍala (प्रातिपदिक) + ākāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी/उपमान-निर्देश: ‘मण्डलस्य आकारः’ = circular-shaped)

• karṇikā: the central bud/whorl (karṇikā)
• karṇikā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karṇikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• sā: she/that (one)
• sā: Karta (Subject apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• mama: my
• mama: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (genitive: ‘of me/my’)

• priyā: dear, beloved
• priyā: Pradhana-predicative (Predicate complement/विशेष्य-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: priya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (predicate adjective)

• tasyām: in her/therein
• tasyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• ye: who (those who)
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम

• prāṇinaḥ: living beings
• prāṇinaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāṇin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• sarve: all
• sarve: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• mṛtāḥ: dead, having died
• mṛtāḥ: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mṛ (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘मृत’ = dead

• kālena: by time, at the time (of death)
• kālena: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause/करण-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; करण/हेतु-भाव (instrumental/causal)

• pārvati: O Pārvatī
• pārvati: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Karṇikā (core precinct of Prabhāsa near Someśa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circular sacred precinct (mandala) called Karṇikā, like a lotus-center; Śiva’s affection for it is implied by protective aura; the boundary glows, suggesting that even death within is transmuted.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Pārvatī
• Karṇikā
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Certain inner zones of a kṣetra are described as exceptionally grace-filled, where even ordinary death becomes spiritually transformative.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Karṇikā—an inner, circular sacred core within Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No rite is prescribed; the emphasis is on the salvific status of the Karṇikā precinct.