Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 136

Devanagari script

गुह्यं चैव तु संभूतं न कश्चिद्वेद तत्परम् । जन्माभ्यासेन तल्लिंगं ज्ञायते भुवि मानवैः

Transliteration

guhyaṃ caiva tu saṃbhūtaṃ na kaścidveda tatparam | janmābhyāsena talliṃgaṃ jñāyate bhuvi mānavaiḥ

Translation

ഇത് പരമഗുഹ്യമായ രഹസ്യമാണ്; അതിന്റെ പരമസത്യം ആരും പൂർണ്ണമായി അറിയുന്നില്ല. അനേകം ജന്മങ്ങളിലെ সাধനാഭ്യാസത്തിലൂടെയേ ഭൂമിയിലെ മനുഷ്യർ ആ ലിംഗത്തെ അറിയുകയുള്ളൂ.

Word by Word

• गुह्यम्: secret
• गुह्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुह्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक निपात

• एव: indeed
• एव: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण-निपात

• तु: but
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• सम्भूतम्: has arisen
• सम्भूतम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्+भू (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; विशेषण (arisen/come into being)

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (negation)

• कश्चित्: anyone
• कश्चित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक सर्वनाम (indefinite pronoun)

• वेद: knows
• वेद: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (that)

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (supreme/ultimate)

• जन्माभ्यासेन: by practice across births
• जन्माभ्यासेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् + अभ्यास (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (जन्म-आभ्यासेन = by practice over births)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (that)

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ज्ञायते: is known
• ज्ञायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपदम; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (is known/comes to be known)

• भुवि: on earth
• भुवि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक: भुवि/भूमि)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Locative singular)

• मानवैः: by humans
• मानवैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Śiva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Somēśa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-sādhaka sits before the Somēśa Liṅga; behind him, faint silhouettes of past lives form a spiral of practice leading to a sudden inner illumination.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga
• Mānava (humans)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True knowledge of Śiva is not merely intellectual; it ripens through sustained sādhana accumulated over lifetimes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra and its central Liṅga associated with Somēśa/Somnātha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed; the verse emphasizes long-term spiritual discipline (abhyāsa) as the means to realization.