Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

सूक्ष्मातिसूक्ष्मं प्रवदन्ति यच्च वाचो निवर्तन्ति मनो यतश्च

Transliteration

sūkṣmātisūkṣmaṃ pravadanti yacca vāco nivartanti mano yataśca

Translation

يقولون إن ذاك ألطفُ من ألطفِ اللطيف؛ ذاك الذي ترجعُ دونه الألفاظ، ومنه تنكفئُ العقولُ أيضًا.

Word by Word

• सूक्ष्मातिसूक्ष्मम्: the extremely subtle
• सूक्ष्मातिसूक्ष्मम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सूक्ष्म + अतिसूक्ष्म (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मपद (object of ‘प्रवदन्ति’)

• प्रवदन्ति: they declare/say
• प्रवदन्ति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• यत्: which/that (which)
• यत्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय

• वाचः: words/speech
• वाचः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• निवर्तन्ति: turn back/cease
• निवर्तन्ति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वृत् (धातु) + नि (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• मनः: mind
• मनः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यतः: from which/whence
• यतः: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यतस् (अव्यय; यद्-तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय; कारण/अपादानार्थक (from which/whence)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय

Speaker

Likely Indra / Devas (continuing stuti); exact speaker not explicit in the snippet

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A near-abstract depiction of the supreme: Śiva as a subtle, formless radiance; Brahmā’s words dissolve into silence, suggesting the retreat of speech and mind.

Characters & Entities

• Ineffable Supreme (Śiva/Brahman implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ultimate reality exceeds speech and thought; reverence and inner stillness are the doorway where concepts fail.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None is specified in this half-verse; it is a metaphysical climax within a hymn.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; it points toward contemplative worship beyond words (mānasa-bhakti/jñāna).