Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । प्रकृतिश्च ततो बुद्धिरहंकारस्ततोऽभवत् । तन्मात्रपंचकं तस्मादेषा प्रकृतिरष्टधा

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | prakṛtiśca tato buddhirahaṃkārastato'bhavat | tanmātrapaṃcakaṃ tasmādeṣā prakṛtiraṣṭadhā

Translation

Īśvara sprach: „Zuerst ist Prakṛti; aus ihr entsteht Buddhi (Erkenntniskraft), und aus Buddhi entsteht Ahaṃkāra (Ichheit). Daraus gehen die fünf Tanmātras (feinstofflichen Elemente) hervor. So wird Prakṛti als achtfach bezeichnet.“

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: the Lord
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• प्रकृतिः: Prakṛti (primordial nature)
• प्रकृतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रकृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• ततः: from that; thereafter
• ततः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अपादान/क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (ablatival adverb: 'from that/thereafter')

• बुद्धिः: intellect (buddhi)
• बुद्धिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अहंकारः: ego-sense (ahaṃkāra)
• अहंकारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहंकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• ततः: thereafter; from that
• ततः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (thereafter/from that)

• अभवत्: arose, came to be
• अभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तन्मात्रपञ्चकम्: the set of five tanmātras
• तन्मात्रपञ्चकम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तन्मात्र (प्रातिपदिक) + पञ्चक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (तन्मात्राणां पञ्चकम्)

• तस्मात्: from that
• तस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तस्मात् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक तद्)
• Form: अपादानार्थक-प्रयोग (ablatival form used adverbially: 'from that')

• एषा: this
• एषा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (प्रकृतिः इति)

• प्रकृतिः: Prakṛti
• प्रकृतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रकृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अष्टधा: eightfold
• अष्टधा: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अष्टधा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: 'in eightfold manner')

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nṛpa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic genealogy: Prakṛti as the primordial matrix; from it a radiant buddhi-lotus; from buddhi a branching ahaṃkāra node; from that five subtle petals (tanmātras) labeled by symbols (sound, touch, form, taste, smell).

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara
• prakṛti
• buddhi
• ahaṃkāra
• tanmātra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Understanding the chain of manifestation—from Prakṛti through intellect and ego to subtle elements—helps loosen identification with the body-mind complex.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

While the verse is philosophical, it is transmitted within the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra Māhātmya of Prabhāsa, framing the site as a locus for liberating instruction.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the passage provides metaphysical enumeration (tattva-nirdeśa).