Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

आत्मा पुराणं वेदानां पृथगंगानि तानि षट् । यच्च दृष्टं हि वेदेषु तद्दृष्टं स्मृतिभिः किल

Transliteration

ātmā purāṇaṃ vedānāṃ pṛthagaṃgāni tāni ṣaṭ | yacca dṛṣṭaṃ hi vedeṣu taddṛṣṭaṃ smṛtibhiḥ kila

Translation

പുരാണം വേദങ്ങളുടെ ആത്മാവാണ്; അവയുടെ ആറു അങ്കങ്ങൾ വേറിട്ട സഹായകങ്ങളാണ്. വേദങ്ങളിൽ കാണുന്നതെല്ലാം സ്മൃതികളിലും കാണപ്പെടുന്നു എന്ന് പറയപ്പെടുന്നു.

Word by Word

• ātmā: self; essence
• ātmā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• purāṇam: the Purāṇa
• purāṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विधेय (predicate)

• vedānām: of the Vedas
• vedānām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• pṛthak: separately
• pṛthak: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pṛthak (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार/भेदवाचक-अव्यय (separately)

• aṅgāni: limbs; parts
• aṅgāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), बहुवचन

• tāni: those
• tāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), बहुवचन

• ṣaṭ: six
• ṣaṭ: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣaṣ (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), बहुवचन; विशेषण (of aṅgāni)

• yat: whatever which
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (and)

• dṛṣṭam: seen; found
• dṛṣṭam: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (दृश् धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त-भूतकृत् (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात-अव्यय (indeed)

• vedeṣu: in the Vedas
• vedeṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; संकेत-सर्वनाम

• dṛṣṭam: is seen
• dṛṣṭam: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (दृश् धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त-भूतकृत् (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• smṛtibhiḥ: by the Smṛtis
• smṛtibhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: smṛti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• kila: indeed; it is said
• kila: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kila (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात-अव्यय (reportive/emphatic: 'indeed/it is said')

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced for Purāṇa-introductory discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha discourse-frame

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic body: the Vedas as a radiant figure whose ‘breath/heart’ is labeled Purāṇa, while six vedāṅgas appear as attendant limbs/tools; smṛti texts appear as mirrored reflections around.

Characters & Entities

• Purāṇa
• Veda
• Smṛti
• Vedāṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇa nourishes Vedic meaning, and Smṛti echoes Vedic dharma—scriptural harmony supports right living.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it establishes scriptural foundations before tīrtha-māhātmya narratives.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the emphasis is on authoritative sources for dharma (Veda, Vedāṅga, Smṛti, Purāṇa).