Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

अनादिमच्युतं दिव्यं प्रमाणातीत गोचरम् । अधश्चोर्ध्वं गतं नित्यं जीवाख्यं देहसंस्थितम्

Transliteration

anādimacyutaṃ divyaṃ pramāṇātīta gocaram | adhaścordhvaṃ gataṃ nityaṃ jīvākhyaṃ dehasaṃsthitam

Translation

Anfangslos, unfehlbar und göttlich, geht Er über die Reichweite aller Maße und Beweise hinaus. Ewig unten wie oben durchdringend, ist Er der Ewige, der als «jīva» im Körper weilt.

Word by Word

• अनादिम्: beginningless
• अनादिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनादि (प्रातिपदिक; नञ्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative/Nominative Singular

• अच्युतम्: imperishable; unfailing
• अच्युतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अच्युत (कृदन्त; √च्युत्/√च्यु धातु, क्त; नञ्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative/Nominative Singular

• दिव्यम्: divine
• दिव्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative/Nominative Singular

• प्रमाण-अतीतम्: beyond (all) means of knowledge/proof
• प्रमाण-अतीतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक) + अतीत (कृदन्त; √इ धातु, क्त; उपसर्ग अति)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative/Nominative Singular

• गोचरम्: range; sphere of apprehension
• गोचरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोचर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative/Nominative Singular

• अधः: below
• अधः: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अधः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; दिशावाचक क्रियाविशेषण — Indeclinable; adverb ‘below’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक — Indeclinable; conjunction ‘and’

• ऊर्ध्वम्: above
• ऊर्ध्वम्: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ऊर्ध्व (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययप्राय)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोग; दिशावाचक — Used adverbially; ‘above/upwards’

• गतम्: gone; extending
• गतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गत (कृदन्त; √गम् धातु, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative/Nominative Singular

• नित्यम्: eternal
• नित्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative/Nominative Singular

• जीव-आख्यम्: called ‘jīva’
• जीव-आख्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जीव (प्रातिपदिक) + आख्य (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √ख्या धातु, यत्/क्त?; ‘named’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative/Nominative Singular

• देह-संस्थितम्: situated in the body
• देह-संस्थितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक) + संस्थित (कृदन्त; √स्था धातु, क्त; उपसर्ग सम्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative/Nominative Singular

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa—Someśvara/Somnatha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic Śiva-form overlays an ordinary pilgrim’s body: the same light fills the microcosm (deha) and macrocosm (above/below). Measuring tools (scales, scriptures, logic diagrams) fall away, indicating pramāṇa-transcendence.

Characters & Entities

• Sadāśiva
• Jīva
• Prabhāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The divine is beginningless and beyond conceptual proof, yet present as the indwelling life-principle.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where the teaching identifies Śiva as the inner Self present everywhere.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse is doctrinal, pointing to inner realization.