Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

अप्रमेयमनंताख्यमक्षयं कामरूपिणम् । प्रभवं सर्वभूतानां बीजांकुरसमुद्भवम्

Transliteration

aprameyamanaṃtākhyamakṣayaṃ kāmarūpiṇam | prabhavaṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ bījāṃkurasamudbhavam

Translation

அளவிடமுடியாதவன், ‘அனந்தன்’ எனப் பெயர்பெற்றவன், அழிவற்றவன், விருப்பத்திற்கேற்ப வடிவமெடுப்பவன்; எல்லா உயிர்களின் தோற்றம்—விதை-முளைபோல் உத்பவம் அவனே।

Word by Word

• aprameyam: immeasurable
• aprameyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- (निषेध) + prameya (कृदन्त; √mā with pra)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘प्रमेय’ (measurable/knowable by pramāṇa) इत्यस्य निषेधः

• ananta-ākhyam: called ‘Ananta’/infinite-named
• ananta-ākhyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ananta (प्रातिपदिक) + ākhya (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त from √khyā)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः (कर्मधारय) — ‘अनन्तम् आख्यं यस्य/यत्’ (named ‘Ananta’/having infinite appellation)

• akṣayam: imperishable
• akṣayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- (निषेध) + kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘क्षय’ (decay) इत्यस्य निषेधः; विशेषण

• kāma-rūpiṇam: able to assume forms at will
• kāma-rūpiṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष) — ‘कामरूपिन्’ (assuming forms at will); विशेषण

• prabhavam: the source
• prabhavam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhava (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त from √bhū with pra)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘प्रभव’ = source/origin; कर्मपद

• sarva-bhūtānām: of all beings
• sarva-bhūtānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष) — ‘सर्वेषां भूतानाम्’

• bīja-aṅkura-samudbhavam: the origin of seed and sprout
• bīja-aṅkura-samudbhavam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bīja (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅkura (प्रातिपदिक) + samudbhava (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त from √bhū with sam+ud)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष) — ‘बीजाङ्कुरस्य समुद्भवः’/‘बीजाङ्कुर-समुद्भवम्’ (source of seed and sprout); विशेषण

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Somnātha at Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Somnātha liṅga with a cosmic tree emerging as a subtle aura—seed transforming into sprout—while the deity’s infinity is shown by endless horizon over the sea.

Characters & Entities

• Sadāśiva
• Prabhāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva is limitless and imperishable, the causal source of all beings while remaining beyond measure.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where the Infinite Lord is praised as the origin of all life.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the verse functions as theological praise supporting devotion at Prabhāsa.