Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

देवो ह्यसौ परं ब्रह्म सदाऽनिर्विण्णमानसः । मायाशक्तिस्त्वमेतस्य सर्गस्थित्यन्तकारिणः

Transliteration

devo hyasau paraṃ brahma sadā'nirviṇṇamānasaḥ | māyāśaktistvametasya sargasthityantakāriṇaḥ

Translation

Wahrlich, Er ist der göttliche Herr, das höchste Brahman, dessen Geist niemals ermüdet. Und du bist seine Māyā-Śakti — die Kraft, durch die Schöpfung, Erhaltung und Auflösung vollzogen werden.

Word by Word

• devaḥ: the god; the deity
• devaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha/Discourse particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय; अर्थः—नूनम्/खलु (indeed)

• asau: that (he)
• asau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asau (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (demonstrative)

• param: supreme
• param: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying)

• brahma: Brahman
• brahma: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मप्रत्यय (object complement)

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• anirviṇṇamānasaḥ: whose mind is never weary
• anirviṇṇamānasaḥ: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anirviṇṇa (कृदन्त, √vid/√vind?; here adjectival ‘unwearied’) + mānasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (कर्मधारय-प्रायः): अनिर्विण्णं मानसं यस्य (unwearied-minded)

• māyāśaktiḥ: the power of māyā
• māyāśaktiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māyā (प्रातिपदिक) + śakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारय-प्रायः): मायायाः शक्तिः / मायाशक्तिः

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• etasya: of this (one)
• etasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• sargasthityantakāriṇaḥ: of the one who causes creation, maintenance, and dissolution
• sargasthityantakāriṇaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarga (प्रातिपदिक) + sthiti (प्रातिपदिक) + anta (प्रातिपदिक) + kārin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (द्वन्द्व-पूर्वपद + तत्पुरुष): सर्ग-स्थिति-अन्तं करोति इति; ‘creator, sustainer, and destroyer’

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (doctrinal praise within māhātmya)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic tableau: Kṛṣṇa as serene supreme light (para-brahman) above; Devī as radiant śakti beside/within that light, emanating three streams labeled creation, preservation, dissolution; Nārada as teacher-sage indicating the cosmic diagram.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Kṛṣṇa (as Paraṃ Brahma)
• Rukmiṇī (as Māyā-Śakti)
• sarga-sthiti-anta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It teaches divine non-duality-in-function: the Supreme Brahman acts through Śakti, and cosmic processes unfold through that inseparable power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā’s Māhātmya is elevated by grounding its narrative in high theology—Brahman, Śakti, and cosmic governance tied to Kṛṣṇa’s presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is primarily philosophical/theological.