Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

अमा सूक्ष्मा परा शक्तिः सा त्वं देवि प्रकीर्तिता । प्रलयोत्पत्तियोगेन स्थिताः कालक्रमोदिताः

Transliteration

amā sūkṣmā parā śaktiḥ sā tvaṃ devi prakīrtitā | pralayotpattiyogena sthitāḥ kālakramoditāḥ

Translation

ಅಮಾ ಸೂಕ್ಷ್ಮವಾದ ಪರಾಶಕ್ತಿ; ದೇವಿ, ಆ ಶಕ್ತಿಯೇ ನೀನೆಂದು ಕೀರ್ತಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಪ್ರಳಯ-ಉತ್ಪತ್ತಿಯ ಯೋಗದಿಂದ ಕಾಲಪ್ರಮಾಣಗಳು ಕ್ರಮವಾಗಿ ಉದಯಿಸಿ ಸ್ಥಿತವಾಗುತ್ತವೆ।

Word by Word

• अमा: (you are) amā (subtle/immeasurable aspect; name/epithet)
• अमा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण (fem. nom. sg.)

• सूक्ष्मा: subtle
• सूक्ष्मा: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सूक्ष्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण (fem. nom. sg.)

• परा: supreme
• परा: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण (fem. nom. sg.)

• शक्तिः: power, energy (Śakti)
• शक्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (fem. nom. sg.)

• सा: she/that (same)
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (fem. nom. sg. pronoun)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुषार्थे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (2nd person pronoun, nom. sg.)

• देवि: O Goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन (voc. sg.)

• प्रकीर्तिता: is proclaimed/celebrated (as)
• प्रकीर्तिता: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + कीर्त् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे विधेय (fem. nom. sg. PPP)

• प्रलय-उत्पत्ति-योगेन: by the conjunction of dissolution and creation
• प्रलय-उत्पत्ति-योगेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रलय (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्पत्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + योग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; षष्ठी/तत्पुरुषसमासः (instrumental sg.; by the connection with dissolution and creation)

• स्थिताः: are situated/established
• स्थिताः: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (masc. nom. pl. PPP)

• काल-क्रम-उदिताः: arisen in the order of time
• काल-क्रम-उदिताः: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक) + क्रम (प्रातिपदिक) + उदित (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; विशेषण (masc. nom. pl.; arisen according to the sequence of time)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Īśvara declares Amā to be the subtle supreme Śakti—Devī herself; through the yoga (linkage) of dissolution and creation, time’s measures arise in ordered sequence.

Characters & Entities

• Amā
• Śakti
• Devī
• Pralaya
• Utpatti
• Kāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time’s sequence is a manifestation of Śakti, inseparable from the cosmic cycles of creation and dissolution.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, within whose Māhātmya such cosmological teachings are presented as sacred revelation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse provides the doctrinal basis for honoring tithis and cosmic cycles.