Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

ओंकारोऽहं वषट्कारः सामाहमृग्यजुस्तथा । अहमग्निश्च होता च यजमानस्तथैव च

Transliteration

oṃkāro'haṃ vaṣaṭkāraḥ sāmāhamṛgyajustathā | ahamagniśca hotā ca yajamānastathaiva ca

Translation

Je suis l’Oṃkāra; je suis l’acclamation Vaṣaṭ. Je suis le Sāman, et de même le Ṛk et le Yajus. Je suis le Feu sacré, le prêtre Hotṛ, et aussi le yajamāna, le patron du rite.

Word by Word

• ओंकारः: the syllable Oṃ (Oṃkāra)
• ओंकारः: Pratijna/Predicative (सम्बन्ध-वाचक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओंकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative, Singular

• वषट्कारः: the Vaṣaṭ-call
• वषट्कारः: Pratijna/Predicative (सम्बन्ध-वाचक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वषट्कार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• साम: Sāma (Sāmaveda chant)
• साम: Pratijna/Predicative (सम्बन्ध-वाचक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative, Singular

• ऋक्: Ṛk (Rig-verse)
• ऋक्: Pratijna/Predicative (सम्बन्ध-वाचक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋच्/ऋक् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• यजुः: Yajus (Yajurvedic formula)
• यजुः: Pratijna/Predicative (सम्बन्ध-वाचक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यजुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; adverb

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative, Singular

• अग्निः: Agni (fire)
• अग्निः: Pratijna/Predicative (सम्बन्ध-वाचक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय; conjunction (अग्निश्च = अग्निः च)

• होता: Hotṛ priest
• होता: Pratijna/Predicative (सम्बन्ध-वाचक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: होतृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय; conjunction

• यजमानः: the sacrificer (patron)
• यजमानः: Pratijna/Predicative (सम्बन्ध-वाचक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यजमान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; adverb

• एव: indeed
• एव: Nipata (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; emphatic particle

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय; conjunction

Speaker

Śiva (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic yajña tableau: Śiva as luminous Praṇava at the center, syllable ‘Oṃ’ radiating; around him appear Vedic chant scrolls, Agni flames, Hotṛ priest, and yajamāna—shown as emanations of the same divinity.

Characters & Entities

• Oṃkāra
• Vaṣaṭkāra
• Sāma
• Ṛg
• Yajus
• Agni
• Hotṛ
• Yajamāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Divine pervades every limb of worship—from mantra and Veda to priest, fire, and patron—so ritual is a form of recognizing immanence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, presented as a place where Vedic sacrifice and divine presence are inseparable.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No single act is commanded; rather, the verse defines core yajña components (vaṣaṭ, Vedas, Agni, Hotṛ, yajamāna) as sacred.