Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

सर्वेषां वर्तते शंका यथा मम महेश्वर । उत्पन्नं कारणं किंतद्येन सोमस्य लांछनम्

Transliteration

sarveṣāṃ vartate śaṃkā yathā mama maheśvara | utpannaṃ kāraṇaṃ kiṃtadyena somasya lāṃchanam

Translation

ഹേ മഹേശ്വരാ! എനിക്കുള്ളതുപോലെ എല്ലാവർക്കും സംശയം ഉണ്ട്—സോമൻ (ചന്ദ്രൻ) മേലുള്ള ലാഞ്ഛനം ഏത് കാരണത്താൽ ഉത്ഭവിച്ചു?

Word by Word

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• वर्तते: exists, prevails
• वर्तते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• शङ्का: doubt, suspicion
• शङ्का: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्का (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• यथा: as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparative connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/उपमानवाचक (as, just as)

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• महेश्वर: O Maheśvara
• महेश्वर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• उत्पन्नम्: arisen, produced
• उत्पन्नम्: Karta (Predicate complement/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्-पद् (धातु) → उत्पन्न (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त ‘arisen/produced’ (predicate with कारणम्)

• कारणम्: cause, reason
• कारणम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Karta (Interrogative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; निर्देशवाचक

• येन: by which
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (by which/whereby)

• सोमस्य: of Soma (Moon)
• सोमस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• लाञ्छनम्: mark, stigma
• लाञ्छनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लाञ्छन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Pārvatī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra / Somnātha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Frame audience; immediate listener is Maheśvara

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pārvatī, earnest and inquisitive, addresses Maheśvara with a universal doubt: why does Soma bear a blemish? The Moon is shown with a visible mark, hovering above the Prabhāsa shoreline/temple, linking cosmos and kṣetra.

Characters & Entities

• Pārvatī
• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Soma (Candra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even divine phenomena invite inquiry; dharmic understanding grows through humble questioning addressed to the highest authority (Śiva).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra (Prabhāsa), within the Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa’s Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is a doctrinal question initiating a sacred narrative.