Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

अथ किं बहुनोक्तेन वच्मि ते प्रश्नमुत्तमम् । द्वितीये तु परार्द्धेऽस्मिन्वर्त्तमाने च वेधसः

Transliteration

atha kiṃ bahunoktena vacmi te praśnamuttamam | dvitīye tu parārddhe'sminvarttamāne ca vedhasaḥ

Translation

Apakah gunanya berkata panjang? Akan aku sampaikan kepadamu perkara tertinggi yang engkau tanyakan. Dalam separuh kedua usia Brahmā yang kini sedang berlangsung (zaman kosmik ini)…

Word by Word

• अथ: now, then
• अथ: Discourse marker (सम्बन्ध/प्रस्ताव)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बन्धसूचक/transition particle)

• किम्: what (use)
• किम्: Prayojana (प्रयोजन/Idiomatic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular); प्रश्नार्थक

• बहुना: with much (talk)
• बहुना: Karana (करण/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• उक्तेन: by what has been said
• उक्तेन: Karana (करण/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वच् (धातु) → उक्त (कृदन्त/क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle used substantively), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• वच्मि: I say
• वच्मि: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान/Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रश्नम्: a question
• प्रश्नम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रश्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• उत्तमम्: excellent, best
• उत्तमम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); ‘प्रश्नम्’ इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• द्वितीये: in the second
• द्वितीये: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location-time)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वितीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); ‘परार्द्धे’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• तु: but, indeed
• तु: Discourse marker (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/contrastive particle)

• परार्द्धे: in the latter half
• परार्द्धे: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परार्द्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• वर्त्तमाने: while occurring / in progress
• वर्त्तमाने: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृत् (धातु) → वर्त्तमान (कृदन्त/शतृ)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त (present active participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); ‘अस्मिन्’ इत्यन्वयः

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/and)

• वेधसः: of Brahmā (the Creator)
• वेधसः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेधस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Unspecified (didactic narrator within Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher-speaker pauses, then gestures toward a vast cosmic backdrop: Brahmā’s lotus-world with a half-lit, half-shadowed arc symbolizing ‘second half’ (dvitīya parārdha). Time wheels (kāla-cakra) faintly encircle the scene while the listener (Devī) sits attentive.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā (Vedhas)
• Parārdha (cosmic half-age)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇas teach by placing human questions inside vast cosmic time, encouraging humility and right understanding.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra is the setting of the Māhātmya; this verse introduces a chronological explanation rather than a site-specific rite.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a transition into cosmological teaching.