Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

आपोहिष्ठेति ऋगियं हृदयं परिकीर्त्तितम् । ऋतं सत्यं शिखा प्रोक्ता उदुत्यं नेत्रमादिशेत्

Transliteration

āpohiṣṭheti ṛgiyaṃ hṛdayaṃ parikīrttitam | ṛtaṃ satyaṃ śikhā proktā udutyaṃ netramādiśet

Translation

‘ആപോ ഹി ഷ്ഠാ…’ എന്ന ഋഗ്വേദമന്ത്രം ഹൃദയമായി പ്രഖ്യാപിക്കപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുന്നു. ‘ഋതം സത്യം…’ ശിഖയായി പ്രോക്തം; ‘ഉദു ത്യം…’ നേത്രമായി വിനിയോഗിക്കണം.

Word by Word

• आपोहिष्ठेति: “āpohiṣṭha …” thus
• आपोहिष्ठेति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आपः + हि + स्थ (पदसमूह/मन्त्र-आरम्भ) + इति (अव्यय)
• Form: मन्त्र-उद्धरणे ‘इति’ सहितं अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (quotative)

• ऋक्: a Ṛg-verse
• ऋक्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋच्/ऋक् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• इयम्: this
• इयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (demonstrative)

• हृदयम्: the heart(-mantra)
• हृदयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृदय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• परिकीर्तितम्: is declared
• परिकीर्तितम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि + कीर्त् (धातु)
• Form: कर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘परिकीर्तितम्’ = उक्तम्/निर्दिष्टम् (has been declared)

• ऋतम्: ṛta (cosmic order/truth)
• ऋतम्: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (अत्र नामनिर्देशे प्रथमा)

• सत्यम्: truth
• सत्यम्: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (अत्र नामनिर्देशे प्रथमा)

• शिखा: the tuft/crown-lock (śikhā)
• शिखा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिखा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रोक्ता: is said (to be)
• प्रोक्ता: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: कर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘प्रोक्ता’ = कथिता/उक्ता (is said)

• उदुत्यम्: (the mantra) “udutya”
• उदुत्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उद् + उत्य (मन्त्र-आरम्भ/प्रातिपदिकवत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; मन्त्रनाम-रूपेण (as the name ‘udutya’)

• नेत्रम्: the eye
• नेत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• आदिशेत्: should designate/assign
• आदिशेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + दिश् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-priest at Prabhāsa performs aṅga-nyāsa: right hand to heart, then to the crown-knot, then touching the eyes, while the sea-breeze and temple lamps flicker near the sacred shore.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛgveda
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Vedic speech is treated as a living sacred body—mantras are installed as ‘limbs’ to internalize worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where Vedic-mantra nyāsa is integrated into the worship procedure.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Assign specific Vedic verses as hṛdaya (heart), śikhā (topknot), and netra (eye) in the nyāsa sequence.