Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

अतीतानि भविष्याणि वर्त्तमानानि सुन्दरि । एवं ज्ञेयानि सर्वाणि ब्रह्मकल्पावधि प्रिये

Transliteration

atītāni bhaviṣyāṇi varttamānāni sundari | evaṃ jñeyāni sarvāṇi brahmakalpāvadhi priye

Translation

அழகிய பிரியே, கடந்தது, வருவது, நிகழ்வது—இவை அனைத்தும் இவ்விதமே அறியப்பட வேண்டும்; பிரியே, பிரம்மாவின் கல்ப எல்லை வரை।

Word by Word

• अतीतानि: past (ones)
• अतीतानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अतीत (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-भाव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (past)

• भविष्याणि: future (ones)
• भविष्याणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भविष्यत् (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-भाव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (future)

• वर्त्तमानानि: present (ones)
• वर्त्तमानानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर्तमान (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-भाव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (present)

• सुन्दरि: O beautiful one
• सुन्दरि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुन्दरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• एवम्: thus; in this way
• एवम्: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (manner adverb)

• ज्ञेयानि: are to be known
• ज्ञेयानि: Kriya (Obligation/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (तव्यत्/अनीयर्-भाव, gerundive); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम् (to be known)

• सर्वाणि: all
• सर्वाणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (all)

• ब्रह्मकल्पावधि: up to the Brahma-kalpa
• ब्रह्मकल्पावधि: Kala (Limit/काल-पर्यन्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ब्रह्म-कल्प-अवधि (प्रातिपदिक); ब्रह्म (प्रातिपदिक) + कल्प (प्रातिपदिक) + अवधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (up to the Brahma-kalpa)

• प्रिये: O dear one
• प्रिये: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; संबोधन-पदम्

Speaker

Śiva (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva instructs Devī on the comprehension of past, present, and future up to the boundary of Brahmā’s kalpa; a calm cosmic teaching scene with subtle imagery of revolving yugas.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Kalpa
• Devī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time is cyclical and intelligible within dharmic cosmology; divine wisdom frames all eras—past, present, and future.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra is the māhātmya context in which this cosmological teaching is delivered.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse provides a cosmological conclusion about how to understand time up to Brahmā’s kalpa.