Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

अस्मिन्कल्पे तु यद्देवि आदावेव वरानने । स्वायंभुवे मनौ तत्र ब्रह्मणः सृजतः पुरा

Transliteration

asminkalpe tu yaddevi ādāveva varānane | svāyaṃbhuve manau tatra brahmaṇaḥ sṛjataḥ purā

Translation

हे देवी, या कल्पाच्या अगदी आरंभी, हे वरानने, स्वायंभुव मनूच्या काळी, प्राचीनकाळी ब्रह्मा सृष्टी रचत असता।

Word by Word

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• कल्पे: in (this) kalpa
• कल्पे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधसूचक-निपात (particle)

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative connector)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• देवि: O goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• आदौ: in the beginning
• आदौ: Kala-adhikarana (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Emphasis particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• वरानने: O beautiful-faced one
• वरानने: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक) + आनन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular); बहुव्रीहि: वरम् आननं यस्याः सा

• स्वायंभुवे: in Svāyambhuva (Manu)
• स्वायंभुवे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वायंभुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular); (मनौ) विशेषण

• मनौ: in Manu (the reign of Manu)
• मनौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Desha-adhikarana (Place)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• ब्रह्मणः: of Brahmā
• ब्रह्मणः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• सृजतः: while creating
• सृजतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/participial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सृज् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (Present active participle), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular), पुंलिङ्ग; (ब्रह्मणः) विशेषण: सृजतः = creating

• पुरा: formerly, long ago
• पुरा: Kala-adhikarana (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī/Umā)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A mythic prologue: Brahmā at the dawn of the kalpa, beginning creation; the Goddess addressed as witness to primordial events, with Prabhāsa implied as the sacred stage.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Devī
• Svāyambhuva Manu
• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places are anchored in cosmic time; tīrtha-māhātmya is linked to creation narratives, giving sacred geography a universal scope.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra’s origin is being set within the creation-era chronology (Svāyambhuva Manu).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this verse establishes historical-cosmic context rather than a practice.