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

Les principes commençant par Prakṛti, et le Puruṣa comme le vingt-cinquième—Il demeure dans le corps du père, dans le corps du maître, et aussi dans mon corps.

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.