Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

एवं युगेयुगे तस्य अवतारः पृथक्पृथक् । यथाकार्यानुरूपेण जायते च पुनःपुनः

Transliteration

evaṃ yugeyuge tasya avatāraḥ pṛthakpṛthak | yathākāryānurūpeṇa jāyate ca punaḥpunaḥ

Translation

अशा रीतीने युगायुगांत त्याचा अवतार वेगवेगळा असतो; आणि जे कार्य साध्य करायचे, त्यानुसार तो पुन्हा पुन्हा प्रकट होतो.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषणम्/adverb): ‘एवम्’ = thus

• युगे-युगे: in every age (yuga after yuga)
• युगे-युगे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावसमासः (युगे युगे = in each yuga)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; pronoun ‘of him/its’

• अवतारः: incarnation, descent
• अवतारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अवतार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• पृथक्-पृथक्: separately, in distinct forms
• पृथक्-पृथक्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृथक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषणम्/adverb), पुनरुक्ति (reduplication): separately, distinctly

• यथा: as, according to
• यथा: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बन्धबोधक/relative adverb): as, according to

• कार्य-अनुरूपेण: in accordance with the required task
• कार्य-अनुरूपेण: Karana (Instrumental/करण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक) + अनुरूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (कार्यस्य अनुरूपः = suitable to the task) + तृतीया-एकवचन ‘-ेण’ (instrumental: in accordance with)

• जायते: is born, arises
• जायते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; ‘is born/comes into being’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक/conjunction): and

• पुनः-पुनः: again and again
• पुनः-पुनः: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषणम्/adverb), पुनरुक्ति: again and again

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (doctrinal locus for recurring manifestations)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A wheel of time (kāla-cakra) with successive manifestations emerging from a central luminous source, each directed toward a symbolic 'task'—restoring balance, removing obstacles, protecting devotees.

Characters & Entities

• Vighneśvara (implied)
• Yugas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The divine responds to historical and moral conditions; avatāra is purpose-driven, restoring order and removing impediments.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly Prabhāsakṣetra, since the doctrinal explanation is given within its Māhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription; it provides theological grounding for invoking the deity in forms suited to one’s time and need.