Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

परमेश्वरेति यद्रूपं तदेतत्कथितं तव । जन्मादिभावरहितं तद्विष्णोः परमं पदम्

Transliteration

parameśvareti yadrūpaṃ tadetatkathitaṃ tava | janmādibhāvarahitaṃ tadviṣṇoḥ paramaṃ padam

Translation

„Jene Wirklichkeit, die man ‚den höchsten Herrn‘ nennt, eben diese Gestalt ist dir dargelegt worden. Sie ist frei von Zuständen wie Geburt und dergleichen; das ist Vishnus höchster Aufenthaltsort.“

Word by Word

• परमेश्वर: ‘Parameśvara’ (Supreme Lord)
• परमेश्वर: Apposition/Quoted term (उद्धृत-शब्द)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parama + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular) (इति-पूर्वपदत्वेन उद्धृत-शब्द)

• इति: thus (called)
• इति: Discourse marker (उद्धरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, उद्धरणसूचक (quotative particle)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• रूपम्: form
• रूपम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta-complement (Apposition/समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• कथितम्: has been stated; told
• कथितम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तव: to you; for you
• तव: Sampradana/Adhikari (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• जन्मादिभावरहितम्: devoid of birth and other states
• जन्मादिभावरहितम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: janman + ādi + bhāva + rahita (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• विष्णोः: of Viṣṇu
• विष्णोः: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• परमम्: supreme
• परमम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• पदम्: abode; state; position
• पदम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene metaphysical tableau: above the sage and king appears an abstract, luminous ‘paramaṃ padam’—a radiant, formless light with subtle Vishnu symbols (conch/disc) emerging and dissolving; the world below is calm, indicating transcendence beyond birth and change.

Characters & Entities

• Parameśvara
• Viṣṇu
• King (listener)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The highest goal is the birthless, changeless supreme state—identified here as Viṣṇu’s paramapada.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No geographic tirtha is named; it speaks of the transcendent ‘supreme abode’ (paramaṃ padam).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it defines the metaphysical goal of practice.