Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

प्रकृत्यादीनि तत्त्वानि पुरुषं पंचविंशकम् । पितृदेहे गुरोर्देहे मम देहेऽपि संस्थितः

Transliteration

prakṛtyādīni tattvāni puruṣaṃ paṃcaviṃśakam | pitṛdehe gurordehe mama dehe'pi saṃsthitaḥ

Translation

Die Prinzipien, beginnend mit Prakṛti, und der Puruṣa als der fünfundzwanzigste—Er weilt im Leib des Vaters, im Leib des Lehrers und auch in meinem Leib.

Word by Word

• प्रकृत्यादीनि: (things) beginning with Prakṛti
• प्रकृत्यादीनि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रकृति (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; ‘प्रकृतिः आदिः येषाम्’ इति (आदि-समास)

• तत्त्वानि: principles, realities
• तत्त्वानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• पुरुषम्: Puruṣa (the person/principle)
• पुरुषम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• पञ्चविंशकम्: twenty-fifth / consisting of twenty-five
• पञ्चविंशकम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या) + विंशति (संख्या) → पञ्चविंशक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; संख्यासमास (द्विगु) ‘पञ्चविंशतिः’ = twenty-five; qualifying पुरुषम्

• पितृदेहे: in the father's body
• पितृदेहे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक) + देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ‘पितुः देहः’

• गुरोः: of the teacher
• गुरोः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• देहे: in (the) body
• देहे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• मम: of me, my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन

• देहे: in (the) body
• देहे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि = also/even

• संस्थितः: situated, established
• संस्थितः: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्+स्था (धातु) → संस्थित (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; used predicatively

Speaker

Prahlāda (continuing the reflection within the stuti/discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Interlocutor/pilgrims (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contemplative visualization: subtle light (Puruṣa) residing within three bodies—father, guru, and Prahlāda—while a schematic of tattvas (prakṛti onward) forms a cosmic backdrop.

Characters & Entities

• Prakṛti
• Puruṣa
• Guru
• Pitṛ (father)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Lord is immanent within all beings; honoring father and guru gains depth when seen as reverence to the indwelling divine.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is embedded in the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra-māhātmya (Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa), tying philosophical insight to the sanctity of the kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; it implies dharma of reverence (guru-pitṛ-bhakti) grounded in theological understanding.