Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

एकस्मिन्नेव काले तु सर्वैर्दृष्टो महेश्वरः । मुनिभिश्च नृपश्रेष्ठ कोटिसंख्यैः पृथक्पृथक्

Transliteration

ekasminneva kāle tu sarvairdṛṣṭo maheśvaraḥ | munibhiśca nṛpaśreṣṭha koṭisaṃkhyaiḥ pṛthakpṛthak

Translation

ایک ہی لمحے میں مہیشور سب کو دکھائی دیے؛ اے بہترین بادشاہ، کروڑوں منیوں نے انہیں جدا جدا طور پر، ہر ایک نے اپنے اپنے انداز میں، درشن کیا۔

Word by Word

• एकस्मिन्: in one
• एकस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन; काले इति विशेषण (in one)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphasis: 'indeed/only')

• काले: time
• काले: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अन्वय (but/and, contrastive particle)

• सर्वैः: by all
• सर्वैः: Karana (Agent-instrumental/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन

• दृष्टः: was seen
• दृष्टः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दृश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि (past participle: 'seen'); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे कर्तृ-तृतीया (seen by all)

• महेश्वरः: Maheśvara (Śiva)
• महेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

• मुनिभिः: by sages
• मुनिभिः: Karana (Agent-instrumental/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction 'and')

• नृपश्रेष्ठ: O best of kings
• नृपश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th case), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (श्रेष्ठः नृपः = best of kings)

• कोटिसंख्यैः: by (those) numbering in crores
• कोटिसंख्यैः: Karana (Agent-instrumental/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कोटि (प्रातिपदिक) + संख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (कोटिः संख्या येषाम्/कोटिसंख्याः = numbering in crores)

• पृथक्: separately
• पृथक्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृथक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; भेदवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (separately)

• पृथक्: each separately
• पृथक्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृथक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति (repetition for emphasis)

Speaker

Pulastya (addressing a king; ‘nṛpaśreṣṭha’)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda Koṭiliṅga-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpaśreṣṭha (king) addressed explicitly here

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A single Śiva-presence perceived as many: each sage sees Śiva before him, while the overall scene shows countless parallel darśanas unfolding at once across the sacred ground.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara
• Muni
• King (nṛpaśreṣṭha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine grace is not limited by space or number; the Lord can grant personal darśana to countless devotees simultaneously.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Arbuda Koṭiliṅga locale, where Śiva’s presence becomes perceivable to multitudes.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific ritual is stated; the focus is on darśana as a grace-filled encounter at the holy place.