Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

ततश्चतुर्दशे कल्पेऽनन्तानाम प्रकीर्तिता । भूतमाता पंचदशे षोडशे चोत्तमा स्मृता

Transliteration

tataścaturdaśe kalpe'nantānāma prakīrtitā | bhūtamātā paṃcadaśe ṣoḍaśe cottamā smṛtā

Translation

അനന്തരം പതിനാലാം കല്പത്തിൽ നീ ‘അനന്താനാമാ’ എന്ന നാമത്തിൽ പ്രഖ്യാതയായി. പതിനഞ്ചാം കല്പത്തിൽ ‘ഭൂതമാതാ’—സകലഭൂതങ്ങളുടെ ജനനി; പതിനാറാം കല്പത്തിൽ ‘ഉത്തമാ’യായി സ്മരിക്കപ്പെട്ടു.

Word by Word

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: None (Discourse)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; क्रम/हेतुवाचक-अव्ययम् (then/thereafter)

• चतुर्दशे: in the fourteenth
• चतुर्दशे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्दश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (अधिकरण), एकवचनम्; द्विगु-समासः (चतुर् + दश) क्रमवाचकत्वेन

• कल्पे: in (the) kalpa
• कल्पे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• अनन्ता: Anantā
• अनन्ता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनन्ता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; नाम

• नाम: named
• नाम: Sambandha (Apposition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय/निपात)
• Form: अव्ययम्; नामार्थक-निपातः (namely)

• प्रकीर्तिता: is proclaimed; is celebrated
• प्रकीर्तिता: Karma (Predicate/कर्म-भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√कीर्त् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्तः (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त); स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कर्मणि/भावे 'is proclaimed/celebrated'

• भूतमाता: Bhūtamātā (mother of beings)
• भूतमाता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत + माता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (भूतानाम् माता)

• पञ्चदशे: in the fifteenth
• पञ्चदशे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चदश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; द्विगु-समासः (पञ्च + दश) क्रमवाचकत्वेन

• षोडशे: in the sixteenth
• षोडशे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षोडश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; द्विगु-समासः (षट् + दश) क्रमवाचकत्वेन

• च: and
• च: None (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम्

• उत्तमा: Uttamā
• उत्तमा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; नाम/विशेषण-रूपेण नामवत्

• स्मृता: is remembered; is known
• स्मृता: Karma (Predicate/कर्म-भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्मृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्तः (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त); स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कर्मणि/भावे 'is remembered/known as'

Speaker

Śiva (deduced from goddess-address and Kailāsa context in nearby verses)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī stands as Bhūtamātā with a protective gesture over a circle of beings (humans, animals, sages), while above her float countless name-petals (Anantānāmā). A crown or radiant aureole signifies Uttamā, the supreme.

Characters & Entities

• Anantānāmā
• Bhūtamātā
• Uttamā
• Kalpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devī’s compassion is timeless—across cosmic cycles she remains the supreme Mother who guides and protects all beings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra (Prabhāsa), whose māhātmya frames this teaching about Devī’s cosmic manifestations.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed in this verse; it focuses on remembrance (smṛti) and praise of Devī’s names across kalpas.