Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

यदेकमव्ययं साक्षाद्ब्रह्मज्योतिः सनातनम् । शिवात्मकं परं तत्त्वं रुद्राध्याये प्रतिष्ठितम्

Transliteration

yadekamavyayaṃ sākṣādbrahmajyotiḥ sanātanam | śivātmakaṃ paraṃ tattvaṃ rudrādhyāye pratiṣṭhitam

Translation

Jenes Eine, unvergänglich und unmittelbar erkennbar—das ewige Licht Brahmans—die höchste Wirklichkeit, deren Wesen Śiva ist, ist im Rudrādhyāya gegründet.

Word by Word

• yat: which/that (relative)
• yat: Visheshya (Correlative/relative reference)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• ekam: one
• ekam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; संख्याविशेषण

• avyayam: imperishable, immutable
• avyayam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-vyaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; नित्य/अविकार्यत्ववाचक विशेषण

• sākṣāt: directly, manifestly
• sākṣāt: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sākṣāt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• brahmajyotiḥ: the radiance/light of Brahman
• brahmajyotiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + jyotis (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्मणः ज्योतिः)

• sanātanam: eternal
• sanātanam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sanātana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण

• śivātmakam: of the nature of Śiva
• śivātmakam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + ātmaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (शिवः आत्मा यस्य/शिवात्मकः)

• param: supreme
• param: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण

• tattvam: principle, reality
• tattvam: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tattva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• rudrādhyāye: in the Rudra-chapter
• rudrādhyāye: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudra (प्रातिपदिक) + adhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (रुद्रस्य अध्यायः)

• pratiṣṭhitam: established, set forth
• pratiṣṭhitam: Predicate (State/गुणवचन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prati-√sthā (स्था धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः; ‘स्थित/प्रतिष्ठित’

Speaker

Muni (continuing instruction to the king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Aniconic vision of the ‘brahmajyotis’: a vast, steady radiance within which a subtle Śiva-principle is intuited; a sage recites Rudrādhyāya before a liṅga or sacred fire, suggesting ‘pratiṣṭhā’ of the supreme in mantra.

Characters & Entities

• Brahman
• Śiva
• Rudrādhyāya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The highest Brahman-light is identical with Śiva; the Rudrādhyāya is presented as its authoritative locus.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the focus is theological and scriptural.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse supports recourse to Rudrādhyāya for realizing the supreme truth.