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

ਹੇ ਮਹਾਦ੍ਯੁਤੇ! ਲਿੰਗ ਦੇ ਮੂਧ ਤੋਂ ਡਿੱਗਦਿਆਂ ਮੇਰੇ ਲਈ ਬਹੁਤ ਸਮਾਂ ਬੀਤ ਗਿਆ, ਤੱਥਾਪਿ ਮੈਂ ਕਿਸੇ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਵੀ ਧਰਤੀ ਦੀ ਸਤ੍ਹਾ ਤੱਕ ਨਹੀਂ ਪਹੁੰਚਿਆ।

Word by Word

• लिङ्गमूर्ध्नः: of the liṅga’s top
• लिङ्गमूर्ध्नः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + मूर्धन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘head/top of the liṅga’); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• पतन्त्या: by (my) falling / while falling
• पतन्त्या: Karaṇa (Instrument/means)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (वर्तमान कृदन्त/Present participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; ‘while falling/by falling’

• मे: my
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive) एकवचन (enclitic)

• कालः: time
• कालः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• जातः: has elapsed/has occurred
• जातः: Pradhāna-nāmapada (Predicate with ‘kālaḥ’)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘has arisen/has passed (become)’

• महाद्युते: O greatly radiant one
• महाद्युते: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + द्युति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समास (‘one of great splendor’); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• तथापि: nevertheless
• तथापि: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय) + अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय-समुच्चय (concessive adverb): ‘even so/nevertheless’

• क्षिति: earth
• क्षिति: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षिति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘earth’ (as qualifier of pṛṣṭham)

• पृष्ठम्: surface/back (ground)
• पृष्ठम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Emphasis/contrast)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थक

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• प्राप्तास्मि: I have reached
• प्राप्तास्मि: Kriyā (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग: प्र-; अर्थ: ‘I have reached’

• कथंचन: in any way at all
• कथंचन: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय) + चन (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (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

• Ketakī flower
• Śiva (as the Liṅga)
• Brahmā (listener)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The divine reality exceeds spatial and temporal measures; human-like calculations fail before Śiva’s infinitude.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse intensifies the liṅga-mahātmyā theme.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.