Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

योंतकाले जलं पीत्वा कृत्वा तोयमयं वपुः । लोकमेकार्णवं चक्रे दृष्ट्या दृष्टेन चात्मना

Transliteration

yoṃtakāle jalaṃ pītvā kṛtvā toyamayaṃ vapuḥ | lokamekārṇavaṃ cakre dṛṣṭyā dṛṣṭena cātmanā

Translation

他在劫末饮尽诸水，化现水成之身；以其一瞥与显现之自性，使世界化为一海——在普拉婆娑，怎能以凡常言辞论说他？

Word by Word

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Relative pronoun, Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अन्तकाले: at the time of the end
• अन्तकाले: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्त + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (अन्तस्य कालः), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन — Tatpurusha, Masculine, Locative, Singular

• जलम्: water
• जलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• पीत्वा: having drunk
• पीत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु) + त्वा
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त — Absolutive (gerund), ‘having drunk’

• कृत्वा: having made
• कृत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + त्वा
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त — Absolutive (gerund), ‘having made’

• तोयमयम्: made of water
• तोयमयम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तोय + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (तोयेन मयम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Tatpurusha, Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• वपुः: body, form
• वपुः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वपुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• लोकम्: the world
• लोकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• एकार्णवम्: a single ocean (as one ocean)
• एकार्णवम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक + अर्णव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (एकः अर्णवः इव/एक-अर्णवः), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Karmadharaya, Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• चक्रे: made
• चक्रे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Perfect, 3rd person, Singular (Ātmanepada)

• दृष्ट्या: by (his) sight
• दृष्ट्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दृष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• दृष्टेन: by what was seen; by the seen (means)
• दृष्टेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: √दृश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त) ‘दृष्ट’ (seen), नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — Past participle used substantively, Instrumental, Singular

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक — Conjunction

• आत्मना: by himself; by the Self
• आत्मना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

Speaker

Unspecified (same questioning voice in the Prabhāsa-kṣetra narrative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Cosmic vision: at end-time the Lord drinks up the waters, becomes water-bodied, and by gaze makes the world an ocean—juxtaposed with the calm coastal Prabhāsa setting where sages struggle to speak of him in ordinary terms.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu/Hari (implied)
• Pralaya (end-time dissolution)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Lord who governs pralaya transcends limitation; references to ‘refuge’ in a tīrtha are meant to exalt the tīrtha and reveal divine līlā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, indirectly praised by contrasting its sanctity with the Lord’s cosmic power.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is cosmological-theological, not prescriptive.