Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 141

Devanagari script

चाक्षुषस्यांतरे पूर्वमासीदेतत्पुरा किल । वैवस्वतेऽन्तरे चास्मिन्सर्वस्यैतस्य संभवः । समत्वं यत्रयत्रासीद्भूमेः कस्मिंश्चिदेव हि

Transliteration

cākṣuṣasyāṃtare pūrvamāsīdetatpurā kila | vaivasvate'ntare cāsminsarvasyaitasya saṃbhavaḥ | samatvaṃ yatrayatrāsīdbhūmeḥ kasmiṃścideva hi

Translation

В прежнюю эпоху, в Манвантару Чакшуши, так и было, как помнится из древности. Но в этой Манвантаре Вайвасваты возникли все эти установления. Где бы земля ни оказывалась ровной, там люди и селились.

Word by Word

• चाक्षुषस्य: of Cākṣuṣa (Manu)
• चाक्षुषस्य: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चाक्षुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular); ‘चाक्षुष-मन्वन्तर’ सम्बन्धे (of Cākṣuṣa)

• अन्तरे: in the period (manvantara)
• अन्तरे: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• पूर्वम्: formerly
• पूर्वम्: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्वम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb: formerly)

• आसीत्: was
• आसीत्: Kriya (Copula/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• एतत्: this (state/thing)
• एतत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular)

• पुरा: formerly; once
• पुरा: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb: formerly/once)

• किल: indeed; it is said
• किल: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किल (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रसिद्ध्यर्थ/श्रुत्यर्थ निपात (reportative particle: ‘it is said/indeed’)

• वैवस्वते: of Vaivasvata (Manu)
• वैवस्वते: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वैवस्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular); ‘वैवस्वत-मन्वन्तर’ सम्बन्धे (of Vaivasvata)

• अन्तरे: in the period
• अन्तरे: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

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

• सर्वस्य: of all
• सर्वस्य: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular); ‘of all (this)’

• एतस्य: of this
• एतस्य: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• संभवः: origin; coming into being
• संभवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम्+भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• समत्वम्: evenness; levelness
• समत्वम्: Karma/Topic (Object/Theme)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समत्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Relative location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धबोधक देशवाचक (relative adverb: where)

• यत्र: wherever
• यत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Relative location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति (repetition for distributive sense)

• आसीत्: was
• आसीत्: Kriya (Copula/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• भूमेः: of the earth
• भूमेः: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• कस्मिंचित्: in some (place)
• कस्मिंचित्: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चित् (अव्यय)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular); ‘चित्’ = अनिश्चितार्थक निपात (indefinite particle)

• एव: only; indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (restrictive/emphatic particle)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक (emphatic particle)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) as narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A split-panel sense of time: left shows earlier Cākṣuṣa era—featureless level earth; right shows Vaivasvata era—people beginning to settle on level plains; a celestial wheel of time above.

Characters & Entities

• Cākṣuṣa Manu
• Vaivasvata Manu
• Manvantara
• Bhūmi (earth)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Civilization is cyclical across cosmic ages; dharma unfolds in time, giving rise to settled life and ordered institutions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra is the narrative locus; by placing social origins within this Māhātmya, the text heightens Prabhāsa’s significance in sacred history.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.