Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

रैवतो नाम राजाऽभूद्ब्रह्मांडे सचराचरे । जगद्योनिर्जिगायेदं तल्लिंगस्य प्रभावतः

Transliteration

raivato nāma rājā'bhūdbrahmāṃḍe sacarācare | jagadyonirjigāyedaṃ talliṃgasya prabhāvataḥ

Translation

ഈ ചരാചരസഹിത ബ്രഹ്മാണ്ഡത്തിൽ ‘റൈവത’ എന്നൊരു രാജാവുണ്ടായിരുന്നു. ആ ലിംഗത്തിന്റെ പ്രഭാവത്താൽ അവൻ ഈ ജഗത്ത്—ജഗദ്യോനി എന്നതിനെ—ജയിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• raivataḥ: Raivata
• raivataḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: raivata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• nāma: by name
• nāma: Visheshana (Naming particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; नाम-शब्दः ‘called/named’ (indeclinable usage)

• rājā: king
• rājā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• abhūt: was/became
• abhūt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• brahmāṇḍe: in the universe
• brahmāṇḍe: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman + aṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; समासः—ब्रह्मणः अण्डम् (cosmic egg/universe)

• sa-carācare: with moving and unmoving (beings)
• sa-carācare: Adhikarana (Locative qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (सह) + cara + acara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; द्वन्द्वः—चर + अचर (moving and unmoving); ‘स’ उपसर्गवत् = ‘with’; अधिकरणे विशेषणम्

• jagadyoniḥ: the source of the world
• jagadyoniḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat + yoni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—जगतः योनिः (source of the world)

• jigāya: conquered/overcame
• jigāya: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ji (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• idam: this
• idam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• tat: that
• tat: Sambandha (Genitive qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; सर्वनाम; ‘liṅgasya’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• liṅgasya: of the liṅga
• liṅgasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• prabhāvataḥ: due to the power
• prabhāvataḥ: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान-हेतु), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे—‘प्रभावतः’ = due to the power

Speaker

Śiva (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Raivateśvara (liṅga)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Varavarṇinī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: King Raivata, crowned and armed, offers homage to the liṅga; behind him banners and subdued foes symbolize conquest achieved through sacred power rather than brutality.

Characters & Entities

• Raivata (King)
• Brahmāṇḍa (cosmos)
• Liṅga (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual power supports righteous sovereignty; devotion to the liṅga is portrayed as the hidden strength behind worldly victory.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, via the fame and power of the Raivateśvara-associated liṅga.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is described; the verse attributes royal success to the liṅga’s prabhāva.