Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

अनादिमच्युतं दिव्यं प्रमाणातीत गोचरम् । अधश्चोर्ध्वं गतं नित्यं जीवाख्यं देहसंस्थितम्

Transliteration

anādimacyutaṃ divyaṃ pramāṇātīta gocaram | adhaścordhvaṃ gataṃ nityaṃ jīvākhyaṃ dehasaṃsthitam

Translation

അവൻ അനാദി, അച്യുതൻ, ദിവ്യൻ—എല്ലാ പ്രമാണങ്ങൾക്കും അതീതഗോചരൻ. അധോ-ഊർധ്വമായി നിത്യവും വ്യാപിച്ച്, ദേഹത്തിനുള്ളിൽ ‘ജീവ’ എന്ന നാമത്തിൽ നിലകൊള്ളുന്നു.

Word by Word

• अनादिम्: beginningless
• अनादिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनादि (प्रातिपदिक; नञ्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative/Nominative Singular

• अच्युतम्: imperishable; unfailing
• अच्युतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अच्युत (कृदन्त; √च्युत्/√च्यु धातु, क्त; नञ्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative/Nominative Singular

• दिव्यम्: divine
• दिव्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative/Nominative Singular

• प्रमाण-अतीतम्: beyond (all) means of knowledge/proof
• प्रमाण-अतीतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक) + अतीत (कृदन्त; √इ धातु, क्त; उपसर्ग अति)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative/Nominative Singular

• गोचरम्: range; sphere of apprehension
• गोचरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोचर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative/Nominative Singular

• अधः: below
• अधः: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अधः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; दिशावाचक क्रियाविशेषण — Indeclinable; adverb ‘below’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक — Indeclinable; conjunction ‘and’

• ऊर्ध्वम्: above
• ऊर्ध्वम्: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ऊर्ध्व (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययप्राय)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोग; दिशावाचक — Used adverbially; ‘above/upwards’

• गतम्: gone; extending
• गतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गत (कृदन्त; √गम् धातु, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative/Nominative Singular

• नित्यम्: eternal
• नित्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative/Nominative Singular

• जीव-आख्यम्: called ‘jīva’
• जीव-आख्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जीव (प्रातिपदिक) + आख्य (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √ख्या धातु, यत्/क्त?; ‘named’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative/Nominative Singular

• देह-संस्थितम्: situated in the body
• देह-संस्थितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक) + संस्थित (कृदन्त; √स्था धातु, क्त; उपसर्ग सम्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative/Nominative Singular

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa—Someśvara/Somnatha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic Śiva-form overlays an ordinary pilgrim’s body: the same light fills the microcosm (deha) and macrocosm (above/below). Measuring tools (scales, scriptures, logic diagrams) fall away, indicating pramāṇa-transcendence.

Characters & Entities

• Sadāśiva
• Jīva
• Prabhāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The divine is beginningless and beyond conceptual proof, yet present as the indwelling life-principle.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where the teaching identifies Śiva as the inner Self present everywhere.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse is doctrinal, pointing to inner realization.