Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

पुलस्त्य उवाच । ततः संछादयामास वज्रेण त्रिदशाधिपः । तल्लिंगं सर्वमर्त्यानां यथाऽदृश्यं व्यजायत

Transliteration

pulastya uvāca | tataḥ saṃchādayāmāsa vajreṇa tridaśādhipaḥ | talliṃgaṃ sarvamartyānāṃ yathā'dṛśyaṃ vyajāyata

Translation

പുലസ്ത്യൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അനന്തരം ത്രിദശാധിപനായ ശക്രൻ (ഇന്ദ്രൻ) വജ്രംകൊണ്ട് ആ ലിംഗത്തെ മൂടി; അപ്പോൾ അത് എല്ലാ മർത്ത്യർക്കും യഥാ അദൃശ്യമായതുപോലെ ആയി।

Word by Word

• पुलस्त्यः: Pulastya
• पुलस्त्यः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुलस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुँलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय/तस्मद्-तद्धित)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक/अनन्तरार्थक (then/thereupon)

• संछादयामास: covered; concealed
• संछादयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-छाद् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect; periphrastic), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• वज्रेण: with the thunderbolt
• वज्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वज्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• त्रिदशाधिपः: lord of the thirty (gods)
• त्रिदशाधिपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिदश-अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुँलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः: त्रिदशानाम् अधिपः इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-विशेषण, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘लिङ्गम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सर्वमर्त्यानाम्: of all mortals
• सर्वमर्त्यानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व-मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुँलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural); समासः: सर्वे मर्त्याः इति कर्मधारयः

• यथा: so that; as
• यथा: Sambandha (Manner/Result marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकार/उपमानवाचक (as/so that)

• अदृश्यम्: invisible
• अदृश्यम्: Karta (Predicate complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अदृश्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘तल्लिङ्गम्’ इत्यस्य भावपरिणामः

• व्यजायत: became; came to be
• व्यजायत: Kriya (Result/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-जन् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Pulastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-liṅga (gupta/ācchādita-liṅga)

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra, lord of the devas, descends to the mountain sanctum and covers the manifested liṅga with the vajra, rendering it unseen to mortals; the landscape suggests rocky Arbuda slopes and a charged, storm-lit atmosphere.

Characters & Entities

• Pulastya
• Indra (Tridaśādhipa)
• Vajra
• Śiva-liṅga
• Mortals (Martyas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine power is not merely displayed; it is veiled when necessary so that dharma and right approach are preserved.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The liṅga of the Arbuda-khaṇḍa account is treated as a uniquely potent sacred focus within Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A protective, quasi-ritual act by Indra: covering/concealing the liṅga with the vajra so it is not visible to mortals.