Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

अतः परं चतुर्वक्त्रो ब्रह्मा यो भविता यदा । प्राणनाथेति देवस्य तदा नाम भविष्यति

Transliteration

ataḥ paraṃ caturvaktro brahmā yo bhavitā yadā | prāṇanātheti devasya tadā nāma bhaviṣyati

Translation

Sa hinaharap, kapag sumilang ang darating na Brahmā na may apat na mukha, kung gayon ang Pangalan ng Panginoon ay magiging “Prāṇanātha” (Panginoon ng hininga ng buhay).

Word by Word

• अतः: thereafter/then
• अतः: Sambandha/Connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतौ/अनन्तरार्थे अव्यय (thereafter/therefore)

• परम्: next/further
• परम्: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्रयोग (adverb: further/next)

• चतुर्वक्त्रः: four-faced
• चतुर्वक्त्रः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् + वक्त्र (प्रातिपदिक); समास
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (यस्य चत्वारि वक्त्राणि सः)

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम

• भविता: will be (the one who will become)
• भविता: Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भू (धातु) + तृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: कर्तरि भविष्यत्कालिक-तृन्त्/तृ-प्रत्ययान्त (agent noun/future sense), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'भविता' = भविष्यन्/भविष्यति इति कर्ता

• यदा: when
• यदा: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (when)

• प्राणनाथेति: (called) ‘Prāṇanātha’
• प्राणनाथेति: Name/Designation (संज्ञा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्राण + नाथ (प्रातिपदिक); समास + इति (अव्यय)
• Form: नामनिर्देशे अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगः; 'प्राणनाथ' (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: प्राणानां नाथः) + इति

• देवस्य: of the deity
• देवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (then)

• नाम: name
• नाम: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भविष्यति: will be
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva (addressing Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic tableau: the four-faced Brahmā of a future cycle arises; the Lord is invoked as Prāṇanātha, ‘Lord of the life-breath,’ with Prabhāsa’s shore-temple aura in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Pārvatī
• Brahmā (future, four-faced)
• Prāṇanātha
• Somanātha/Someśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva is the innermost sustainer of prāṇa; His names reveal His continuous guardianship of life across cosmic ages.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, as the locus where the Lord’s names are taught across past, present, and future cycles.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is prophetic/nāma-focused rather than rite-focused.