Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मांडे यानि लिंगानि कीर्तितानि त्वया मम । तेषां प्रभावेनाधिक्यं सोमेशे तत्कथं वद

Transliteration

brahmāṃḍe yāni liṃgāni kīrtitāni tvayā mama | teṣāṃ prabhāvenādhikyaṃ someśe tatkathaṃ vada

Translation

“在你向我称述的遍满宇宙的一切林伽之中，苏摩伊湿伐罗（Somēśvara）如何在威力与殊胜上超越诸者？请为我宣说此理。”

Word by Word

• ब्रह्माण्डे: in the universe (Brahmāṇḍa)
• ब्रह्माण्डे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्माण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• यानि: which
• यानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• लिङ्गानि: liṅgas (emblems)
• लिङ्गानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• कीर्तितानि: mentioned/described
• कीर्तितानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कीर्तित (कृदन्त; √कीर्त्/√कृत्? here √कीर्त् ‘to praise/mention’, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; कर्मणि (have been mentioned)

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Agent-in-passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• मम: to me
• मम: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी/षष्ठी (4th/6th; Dative/Genitive), एकवचन; अत्र चतुर्थ्यर्थे (to me)

• तेषाम्: of those
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• प्रभावेन: by the power/effect
• प्रभावेन: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• अधिक्यम्: superiority/excess
• अधिक्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अधिक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; भाववाचक

• सोमेशे: in/with regard to Someśa
• सोमेशे: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोमेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विषय/अधिकरण (with respect to Someśa)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Sambandha (Interrogative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक क्रियाविशेषण (interrogative adverb)

• वद: tell (me)
• वद: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Devī (Pārvatī/Umā)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Somēśvara (Somnātha) in Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādeva/Īśvara

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī points conceptually to the ‘liṅgas of the cosmos’—a visionary spread of countless liṅgas across worlds—then focuses attention on Somēśvara, asking why it excels.

Characters & Entities

• Somēśvara
• liṅga
• Brahmāṇḍa (cosmos)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred sites are not equal in their declared phala; scripture invites discerning inquiry into a kṣetra’s unique divine potency.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Somēśvara at Prabhāsakṣetra, presented as pre-eminent among celebrated liṅgas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse frames a doctrinal question about the hierarchy of sacred liṅgas and their prabhāva.