Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 105

Devanagari script

प्रत्यक्षो दृश्यते यस्तु निरालम्बो भ्रमत्यसौ । स एव भगवान्विष्णुर्य एते गगने स्थिताः

Transliteration

pratyakṣo dṛśyate yastu nirālambo bhramatyasau | sa eva bhagavānviṣṇurya ete gagane sthitāḥ

Translation

Was man unmittelbar sieht, wie es ohne Stütze umherwandert—das ist wahrlich Bhagavān Viṣṇu; er ist es, durch den diese (Körper) am Himmel fest gegründet sind.

Word by Word

• pratyakṣaḥ: visible, manifest
• pratyakṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pratyakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• dṛśyate: is seen, appears
• dṛśyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद (Ātmanepada), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular), सम्बन्ध-सूचक (relative pronoun)

• tu: but, indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थक (but/indeed)

• nirālambaḥ: without support
• nirālambaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nir-ālamba (प्रातिपदिक; nir + ālamba)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• bhramati: wanders, revolves
• bhramati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhram (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada)

• asau: that (one)
• asau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular), निर्देशार्थक (demonstrative pronoun)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• eva: indeed, only
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• bhagavān: the Lord
• bhagavān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• viṣṇuḥ: Vishnu
• viṣṇuḥ: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular), सम्बन्ध-सूचक (relative pronoun)

• ete: these
• ete: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• gagane: in the sky
• gagane: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gagana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• sthitāḥ: standing, situated
• sthitāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthā (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Prahlāda (contextual inference)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night sky over the sea: planets and stars glide in arcs, while a vast, subtle Viṣṇu form (cosmic) supports them invisibly; a pilgrim watches in awe.

Characters & Entities

• Bhagavān
• Viṣṇu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Behind visible cosmic motion stands the unseen Lord; perceiving divine agency in the world is a mark of true vision.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is embedded in the Vastrāpathakṣetra Māhātmya of Prabhāsa, linking sacred geography with cosmic theism.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse teaches contemplative recognition of Viṣṇu as cosmic support.