Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

शोभनाशोभनाकारं तं मन्येत प्रजापतिम् । अनित्यं हि स्थितो यस्मात्तस्मादतिथिरुच्यते

Transliteration

śobhanāśobhanākāraṃ taṃ manyeta prajāpatim | anityaṃ hi sthito yasmāttasmādatithirucyate

Translation

Qu’il paraisse beau ou non, qu’on considère cet hôte comme Prajāpati lui-même. Car, puisqu’il ne demeure qu’un instant et n’est pas permanent, c’est pourquoi on l’appelle « atithi ».

Word by Word

• शोभनाशोभनाकारम्: having a fair or foul form
• शोभनाशोभनाकारम्: Karmaviśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शोभन + अशोभन + आकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; समाहार/इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व-प्रायः (शोभनाकारः वा अशोभनाकारः) विशेषण (qualifying ‘तम्/प्रजापतिम्’)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• मन्येत: should consider/regard
• मन्येत: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √मन् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• प्रजापतिम्: Prajāpati (lord of creatures)
• प्रजापतिम्: Karma (Object complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (प्रजायाः पतिः)

• अनित्यम्: impermanent
• अनित्यम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa/Viśeṣaṇa (Predicative qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying implied ‘रूपम्/स्वरूपम्’ or predicative to ‘स्थितः’)

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• स्थितः: staying/remaining
• स्थितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle used adjectivally), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; (अतिथि-विषयक)

• यस्मात्: because/from which (reason)
• यस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; हेतु/कारणार्थे

• तस्मात्: therefore/from that
• तस्मात्: Hetu/Apādāna (Reason/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी विभक्ति, एकवचन; तस्मात् = therefore

• अतिथिः: a guest
• अतिथिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अतिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उच्यते: is called/said
• उच्यते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive), आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Unspecified (Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa instructional discourse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A guest of ambiguous, even rough appearance stands at the door; the householder, serene and unwavering, beholds him as Prajāpati—subtle divine radiance overlays the guest’s form, indicating hidden divinity.

Characters & Entities

• Atithi
• Prajāpati

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

One must honor the guest as divine regardless of outward appearance, because the guest’s transient arrival is a sacred test of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named; the verse sacralizes the act of receiving guests as a dharmic pilgrimage within one’s home.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A mental and ethical injunction: regard the guest as Prajāpati and honor him without discrimination based on appearance.