Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

तस्मिन्नेकार्णवे घोरे नष्टे स्थावरजंगमे । चन्द्रार्कतपने नष्टे ज्योतिषि प्रलयं गते

Transliteration

tasminnekārṇave ghore naṣṭe sthāvarajaṃgame | candrārkatapane naṣṭe jyotiṣi pralayaṃ gate

Translation

ആ ഭയങ്കരമായ ഏകാർണവം മാത്രം ശേഷിച്ച്, സ്ഥാവരജംഗമ സകല ജീവികളും നശിച്ചപ്പോൾ; ചന്ദ്രൻ, സൂര്യൻ, താപം അസ്തമിച്ചപ്പോൾ; ജ്യോതിസ്സുകൾ പ്രളയത്തിൽ ലീനമായപ്പോൾ—

Word by Word

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• एकार्णवे: in the single ocean (cosmic flood)
• एकार्णवे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक + अर्णव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; कर्मधारय ‘एकः अर्णवः’ (single ocean/flood)

• घोरे: terrible
• घोरे: Adhikarana (Qualifier/अधिकरण-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषण

• नष्टे: when (it was) destroyed
• नष्टे: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सति-सप्तमी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: नश् (धातु) + क्त; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• स्थावरजङ्गमे: (all) immobile and mobile beings
• स्थावरजङ्गमे: Adhikarana (Locative absolute complement/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थावर + जङ्गम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; द्वन्द्व (स्थावराणि च जङ्गमानि च)

• चन्द्रार्कतपने: when the moon, sun, and heat (were)
• चन्द्रार्कतपने: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्र + अर्क + तपन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; द्वन्द्व (चन्द्रः अर्कः तपनः)

• नष्टे: destroyed
• नष्टे: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सति-सप्तमी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: नश् + क्त; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी

• ज्योतिषि: in the light/luminary realm
• ज्योतिषि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्योतिस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• प्रलयम्: dissolution
• प्रलयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• गते: having gone (into)
• गते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सति-सप्तमी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: गम् + क्त; पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (ज्योतिषि ... गते)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A near-empty cosmic ocean under a darkened sky: no sun or moon, no stars; only a vast, ominous ‘eka-ārṇava’ with subtle whirlpools, conveying dissolution.

Characters & Entities

• Ekārṇava (cosmic ocean)
• Candra
• Arka (Sun)
• Pralaya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even cosmic dissolution is used to highlight divine preservation and the sacred origins behind tīrthas and dharmic memory.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sets the pralaya backdrop for Kardamāla’s māhātmya (site details come in subsequent verses).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it introduces the pralaya setting.