Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 28
Devanagari script
लिंगमूर्ध्नः पतंत्या मे कालो जातो महाद्युते । तथापि क्षिति पृष्ठं तु न प्राप्तास्मि कथंचन
Transliteration
liṃgamūrdhnaḥ pataṃtyā me kālo jāto mahādyute | tathāpi kṣiti pṛṣṭhaṃ tu na prāptāsmi kathaṃcana
Translation
हे महाद्युते! लिंगाच्या शिखरावरून पडत असताना माझा फार काळ गेला; तरीही मी कशाही प्रकारे पृथ्वीच्या पृष्ठभागास पोहोचलो नाही।
Word by Word
लिङ्गमूर्ध्नःof the liṅga’s top
लिङ्गमूर्ध्नः:
Sambandha (Genitive relation)
TypeNoun
Rootलिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + मूर्धन् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formतत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘head/top of the liṅga’); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन
पतन्त्याby (my) falling / while falling
पतन्त्या:
Karaṇa (Instrument/means)
TypeVerb
Rootपत् (धातु)
Formशतृ-प्रत्यय (वर्तमान कृदन्त/Present participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; ‘while falling/by falling’
मेmy
मे:
Sambandha (Possessor)
TypeNoun
Rootअस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formषष्ठी (6th/Genitive) एकवचन (enclitic)
कालःtime
कालः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootकाल (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन
जातःhas elapsed/has occurred
जातः:
Pradhāna-nāmapada (Predicate with ‘kālaḥ’)
TypeVerb
Rootजन् (धातु)
Formक्त-प्रत्यय (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘has arisen/has passed (become)’
महाद्युतेO greatly radiant one
महाद्युते:
Sambodhana (Address)
TypeNoun
Rootमहा (प्रातिपदिक) + द्युति (प्रातिपदिक)
Formबहुव्रीहि-समास (‘one of great splendor’); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन
तथापिnevertheless
तथापि:
Sambandha (Discourse connector)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतथा (अव्यय) + अपि (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय-समुच्चय (concessive adverb): ‘even so/nevertheless’
क्षितिearth
क्षिति:
Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier)
TypeNoun
Rootक्षिति (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘earth’ (as qualifier of pṛṣṭham)
पृष्ठम्surface/back (ground)
पृष्ठम्:
Karma (Object)
TypeNoun
Rootपृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन
तुbut/indeed
तु:
Sambandha (Emphasis/contrast)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतु (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थक
नnot
न:
Pratiṣedha (Negation)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootन (अव्यय)
Formनिषेधार्थक-अव्यय
प्राप्तास्मिI have reached
प्राप्तास्मि:
Kriyā (Main action)
TypeVerb
Rootप्र + आप् (धातु)
Formलिट् (Perfect), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग: प्र-; अर्थ: ‘I have reached’
कथंचनin any way at all
कथंचन:
Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverb)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootकथम् (अव्यय) + चन (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
Formअव्यय (adverb), ‘in any way/at all’ (emphatic)
Speaker
Ketakī flower (continuing)
Visual Art Cues
Scene: A cosmic liṅga-pillar rises beyond sight; a falling ketakī/flower speaks of endless descent and time passing without reaching earth; Brahmā above, Viṣṇu below implied.
Characters & Entities
K
Ketakī flowerŚ
Śiva (as the Liṅga)B
Brahmā (listener)FAQs
The divine reality exceeds spatial and temporal measures; human-like calculations fail before Śiva’s infinitude.
No specific tīrtha is named; the verse intensifies the liṅga-mahātmyā theme.
None.