Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

तेषां मध्ये महातेजाश्चंद्रमास्तत्त्वसंभव । सोऽयं मया धृतो देवि अद्यापि शिरसि प्रिये

Transliteration

teṣāṃ madhye mahātejāścaṃdramāstattvasaṃbhava | so'yaṃ mayā dhṛto devi adyāpi śirasi priye

Translation

ആ രത്നങ്ങളിൽ മഹാതേജസ്സുള്ള ചന്ദ്രൻ ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു; അവൻ ആ ആദിതത്ത്വത്തിൽ നിന്നു ജനിച്ചു. ഹേ ദേവീ, ഹേ പ്രിയേ, ആ ചന്ദ്രനെ ഞാൻ ഇന്നും ശിരസ്സിൽ ധരിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• तेषाम्: of those (gems)
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• मध्ये: among/in the midst
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• महातेजाः: of great splendor
• महातेजाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + तेजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः — महत् तेजः यस्य; ‘चन्द्रमाः’ इति विशेषणम्

• चन्द्रमाः: the Moon
• चन्द्रमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्रमस्/चन्द्रमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तत्त्वसंभव: O one born of essence/reality
• तत्त्वसंभव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक) + सम्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन/प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः — तत्त्वात् सम्भवः; (पाठे ‘संभव’ vocative-like address)

• सः: he/that (moon)
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Apposition (Co-referent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Agent-instrument in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया, एकवचन

• धृतः: is borne/held
• धृतः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• देवि: O goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• अद्य: today/now
• अद्य: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

• अपि: still/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (also/even/still)

• शिरसि: on (my) head
• शिरसि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• प्रिये: O beloved
• प्रिये: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Somnātha at Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva speaks to Devī, indicating the Moon as his head-ornament; the crescent gleams against matted locks, with a calm, intimate domestic-cosmic atmosphere.

Characters & Entities

• Candra (Moon)
• Devī
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva bears cosmic radiance as a sign of mastery and grace—turning a celestial ‘treasure’ into a spiritual emblem for devotees.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra is the contextual tīrtha where Śiva’s presence and signs are praised through this māhātmya narration.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse explains iconographic and mythic meaning.