Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

षोडशैव स्वरा ये तु आद्याः सृष्टयंतकाः प्रिये । कालस्यावयवास्ते च विज्ञेयाः कालवेदिभिः

Transliteration

ṣoḍaśaiva svarā ye tu ādyāḥ sṛṣṭayaṃtakāḥ priye | kālasyāvayavāste ca vijñeyāḥ kālavedibhiḥ

Translation

പ്രിയേ, സൃഷ്ടിയെ ആരംഭിപ്പിക്കുകയും അന്തത്തിലേക്കും നയിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുന്ന ആ പതിനാറു ആദ്യസ്വരങ്ങൾ കാലത്തിന്റെ അവയവങ്ങളാണ്; കാലവിദർ അവയെ അങ്ങനെ തന്നെ അറിയണം।

Word by Word

• षोडश: sixteen
• षोडश: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षोडश (संख्या/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; विशेषण (numeral used adjectivally)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphasis)

• स्वराः: vowels/sounds
• स्वराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन (masc. nom. pl.)

• ये: which
• ये: Anvaya (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun, masc. nom. pl.)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha/Discourse (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (contrastive particle)

• आद्याः: primordial/first
• आद्याः: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (masc. nom. pl.)

• सृष्टि-अन्तकाः: bringing creation to an end (i.e., up to dissolution)
• सृष्टि-अन्तकाः: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सृष्टि (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (masc. nom. pl.; ending/terminating creation)

• प्रिये: O beloved (Goddess)
• प्रिये: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; सम्बोधनपद (voc. sg.)

• कालस्य: of time
• कालस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन (gen. sg.)

• अवयवाः: parts, components
• अवयवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अवयव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (masc. nom. pl.)

• ते: those
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम (demonstrative pronoun, masc. nom. pl.)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• विज्ञेयाः: are to be known
• विज्ञेयाः: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + ज्ञा (धातु) + यत्/अनीय (कृदन्त)
• Form: कर्तव्यता/विधिलिङ्गार्थे कृदन्त (gerundive/अनीय), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विधेय (masc. nom. pl.; to be known)

• काल-वेदिभिः: by those who know time
• काल-वेदिभिः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक) + वेदिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; करण/कर्तृवाचक (instr. pl.; by knowers of time)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Īśvara teaches that sixteen primordial svaras—creative and terminal—are limbs of Time, recognized by those who know kāla.

Characters & Entities

• Svara
• Kāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sound and time are sacred principles: the ordered power of vibration (svara) is presented as integral to cosmic time.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra is the contextual locus of this instruction, enhancing its sanctity within the Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; it implicitly supports mantra-śravaṇa/japa and time-aware worship.