Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

देव्युवाच । सोमेश्वरेति यन्नाम कस्मिन्काले बभूव तत् । किं नामाग्रेऽभवल्लिंगं नाम किं भविताऽधुना

Transliteration

devyuvāca | someśvareti yannāma kasminkāle babhūva tat | kiṃ nāmāgre'bhavalliṃgaṃ nāma kiṃ bhavitā'dhunā

Translation

女神说道：“‘苏摩主（Somēśvara）’这一名号是在何时出现的？起初这林伽称作什么，如今（在现世）又将称作什么？”

Word by Word

• देवी: the Goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• सोमेश्वर: Someśvara
• सोमेश्वर: Karta (Subject/नाम)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; quoted name in iti-construction

• इति: thus/so called
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण-निपात (quotative particle)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक (relative pronoun)

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

• कस्मिन्: in which
• कस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/Time locus)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

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

• बभूव: became/was
• बभूव: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• तत्: that (name)
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; संकेत (demonstrative)

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karta/Karma (Interrogative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• नाम: indeed/then
• नाम: Avadharana (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्न-निपात (interrogative particle, 'indeed/then')

• अग्रे: formerly/at first
• अग्रे: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; काल/क्रमवाचक (adverb: formerly/at first)

• अभवत्: was/became
• अभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga (emblem)
• लिङ्गम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नाम: then/indeed
• नाम: Avadharana (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्न-निपात (interrogative particle)

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karta/Karma (Interrogative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• भविता: will be
• भविता: Kriya (Future predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-अर्थे कृत्: तृन्/तृच्-प्रत्ययान्त (agentive future sense) → भवितृ; here भविता (पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन) used as periphrastic future predicate

• अधुना: now
• अधुना: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अधुना (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Somēśvara (Somnātha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Īśvara (Śiva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī, inquisitive and poised, asks Śiva about the origin of the name Somēśvara; behind them, a stylized liṅga with a crescent-moon motif and a timeline-like band suggesting yuga transitions.

Characters & Entities

• Somēśvara
• Liṅga
• Devī
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred names preserve sacred history; understanding a tīrtha’s names reveals its enduring divine presence across time.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Somēśvara in Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Prabhāsa) is the focus of inquiry.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it requests the narrative framework (kāla/yuga-based naming) that supports later devotional practice.