Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

यदेकमव्ययं साक्षाद्ब्रह्मज्योतिः सनातनम् । शिवात्मकं परं तत्त्वं रुद्राध्याये प्रतिष्ठितम्

Transliteration

yadekamavyayaṃ sākṣādbrahmajyotiḥ sanātanam | śivātmakaṃ paraṃ tattvaṃ rudrādhyāye pratiṣṭhitam

Translation

That One, imperishable and directly knowable—the eternal radiance of Brahman—the supreme Reality whose very nature is Śiva, is established in the Rudrādhyāya.

Word by Word

• yat: which/that (relative)
• yat: Visheshya (Correlative/relative reference)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• ekam: one
• ekam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; संख्याविशेषण

• avyayam: imperishable, immutable
• avyayam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-vyaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; नित्य/अविकार्यत्ववाचक विशेषण

• sākṣāt: directly, manifestly
• sākṣāt: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sākṣāt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• brahmajyotiḥ: the radiance/light of Brahman
• brahmajyotiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + jyotis (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्मणः ज्योतिः)

• sanātanam: eternal
• sanātanam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sanātana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण

• śivātmakam: of the nature of Śiva
• śivātmakam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + ātmaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (शिवः आत्मा यस्य/शिवात्मकः)

• param: supreme
• param: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण

• tattvam: principle, reality
• tattvam: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tattva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• rudrādhyāye: in the Rudra-chapter
• rudrādhyāye: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudra (प्रातिपदिक) + adhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (रुद्रस्य अध्यायः)

• pratiṣṭhitam: established, set forth
• pratiṣṭhitam: Predicate (State/गुणवचन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prati-√sthā (स्था धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः; ‘स्थित/प्रतिष्ठित’

Speaker

Muni (continuing instruction to the king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Aniconic vision of the ‘brahmajyotis’: a vast, steady radiance within which a subtle Śiva-principle is intuited; a sage recites Rudrādhyāya before a liṅga or sacred fire, suggesting ‘pratiṣṭhā’ of the supreme in mantra.

Characters & Entities

• Brahman
• Śiva
• Rudrādhyāya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The highest Brahman-light is identical with Śiva; the Rudrādhyāya is presented as its authoritative locus.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the focus is theological and scriptural.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse supports recourse to Rudrādhyāya for realizing the supreme truth.