Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

अग्नीशानेति देवेशि नामत्रितयमुच्यते । कल्पेकल्पे तु नामानि कथितुं नैव शक्यते । असंख्यत्वाच्च कल्पानां ब्रह्मणा च वरानने

Transliteration

agnīśāneti deveśi nāmatritayamucyate | kalpekalpe tu nāmāni kathituṃ naiva śakyate | asaṃkhyatvācca kalpānāṃ brahmaṇā ca varānane

Translation

ହେ ଦେବେଶି, ‘ଅଗ୍ନି’ ଓ ‘ଈଶାନ’ ଆଦି ଭାବେ ନାମର ତ୍ରୟ କୁହାଯାଏ। କିନ୍ତୁ କଳ୍ପେ କଳ୍ପେ ସମସ୍ତ ନାମ ପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣ ଭାବେ କହିବା ସମ୍ଭବ ନୁହେଁ; କାରଣ କଳ୍ପ ଅସଂଖ୍ୟ, ହେ ବରାନନେ, ବ୍ରହ୍ମାଙ୍କ ପାଇଁ ମଧ୍ୟ।

Word by Word

• अग्नीशान: (the name) Agnīśāna
• अग्नीशान: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नीशान (प्रातिपदिक; अग्नि + ईशान)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (as part of quoted name)

• इति: thus/so called
• इति: Sambandha (Marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरणसूचक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• देवेशि: O goddess, lady of the gods
• देवेशि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवेशी (प्रातिपदिक; देव + ईशिन्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• नामत्रितयम्: a triad of names
• नामत्रितयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामत्रितय (प्रातिपदिक; नामन् + त्रितय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• उच्यते: is said/uttered
• उच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• कल्पे: in a kalpa
• कल्पे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• कल्पे: (again) in a kalpa
• कल्पे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन (repetition: ‘in each kalpa’)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; contrast/emphasis)

• नामानि: names
• नामानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• कथितुम्: to tell/relate
• कथितुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (infinitive)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• एव: indeed/at all
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• शक्यते: is possible
• शक्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शक् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• असंख्यत्वात्: because of innumerability
• असंख्यत्वात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असंख्यत्व (प्रातिपदिक; असंख्य + त्व)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन (हेतु/कारण)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• कल्पानाम्: of the kalpas
• कल्पानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• ब्रह्मणा: by Brahmā
• ब्रह्मणा: Karana (Agent-instrument in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• वरानने: O fair-faced one
• वरानने: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरानना (प्रातिपदिक; वर + आनना)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva (continuing explanation of divine names across kalpas)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (ananta-nāma contemplation)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī addressed as ‘devēśi/varānanā’

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teaching scene: Devī addressed as Devēśī listens while the speaker gestures to a scroll/sky filled with innumerable names; Brahmā appears in the background with manuscripts, indicating even he cannot finish the count; cosmic cycles shown as concentric wheels.

Characters & Entities

• Agni
• Īśāna
• Brahmā
• Kalpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Divine is inexhaustible: names and forms vary across cosmic cycles, underscoring the limitless nature of Śiva’s manifestation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra in the broader passage, where these names (Bhairava/Kālāgnirudra) are being contextualized.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a doctrinal statement about nāma (divine names) across kalpas.