Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

अतः परं चतुर्वक्त्रो ब्रह्मा यो भविता यदा । प्राणनाथेति देवस्य तदा नाम भविष्यति

Transliteration

ataḥ paraṃ caturvaktro brahmā yo bhavitā yadā | prāṇanātheti devasya tadā nāma bhaviṣyati

Translation

ഇതിനുശേഷം ഭാവിയിൽ ചതുര്മുഖനായ ബ്രഹ്മാവ് ഉദ്ഭവിക്കുമ്പോൾ, ആ ദേവന്റെ നാമം ‘പ്രാണനാഥൻ’—പ്രാണങ്ങളുടെ അധിപൻ—ആയിരിക്കും.

Word by Word

• अतः: thereafter/then
• अतः: Sambandha/Connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतौ/अनन्तरार्थे अव्यय (thereafter/therefore)

• परम्: next/further
• परम्: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्रयोग (adverb: further/next)

• चतुर्वक्त्रः: four-faced
• चतुर्वक्त्रः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् + वक्त्र (प्रातिपदिक); समास
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (यस्य चत्वारि वक्त्राणि सः)

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम

• भविता: will be (the one who will become)
• भविता: Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भू (धातु) + तृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: कर्तरि भविष्यत्कालिक-तृन्त्/तृ-प्रत्ययान्त (agent noun/future sense), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'भविता' = भविष्यन्/भविष्यति इति कर्ता

• यदा: when
• यदा: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (when)

• प्राणनाथेति: (called) ‘Prāṇanātha’
• प्राणनाथेति: Name/Designation (संज्ञा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्राण + नाथ (प्रातिपदिक); समास + इति (अव्यय)
• Form: नामनिर्देशे अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगः; 'प्राणनाथ' (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: प्राणानां नाथः) + इति

• देवस्य: of the deity
• देवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (then)

• नाम: name
• नाम: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भविष्यति: will be
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva (addressing Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic tableau: the four-faced Brahmā of a future cycle arises; the Lord is invoked as Prāṇanātha, ‘Lord of the life-breath,’ with Prabhāsa’s shore-temple aura in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Pārvatī
• Brahmā (future, four-faced)
• Prāṇanātha
• Somanātha/Someśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva is the innermost sustainer of prāṇa; His names reveal His continuous guardianship of life across cosmic ages.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, as the locus where the Lord’s names are taught across past, present, and future cycles.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is prophetic/nāma-focused rather than rite-focused.