Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 101

Devanagari script

तन्मात्राः सोदराः पञ्च ये गच्छन्ति सहैव मे । एषा प्रकृतिरस्माकं विकारः स्वजनो मम

Transliteration

tanmātrāḥ sodarāḥ pañca ye gacchanti sahaiva me | eṣā prakṛtirasmākaṃ vikāraḥ svajano mama

Translation

Lima tanmātra itu ialah saudara kandungku, yang berjalan bersamaku serentak. Inilah Prakṛti kami; perubahan daripadanya itulah yang aku sebut sebagai “kaumku sendiri”.

Word by Word

• तन्मात्राः: the subtle elements (tanmātras)
• तन्मात्राः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tan+mātrā (प्रातिपदिक); तद् (सर्वनाम) + मात्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (तस्य मात्रा इति)

• सोदराः: born of the same womb; siblings
• सोदराः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sodara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (तन्मात्राः इत्यस्य)

• पञ्च: five
• पञ्च: Saṅkhyā-viśeṣaṇa (संख्या-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañcan (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्या; प्रथमा बहुवचनार्थे (indeclinable numeral used adjectivally)

• ये: who/which
• ये: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• गच्छन्ति: go
• गच्छन्ति: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• सह: together with
• सह: Sahakāraka (सह/सहचर)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक (with)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Avadhāraṇa (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphasis)

• मे: of me, my
• मे: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive) एकवचन (enclitic); सर्वनाम

• एषा: this (she/this one)
• एषा: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; निर्देश (demonstrative)

• प्रकृतिः: Prakṛti, nature
• प्रकृतिः: Samānādhikaraṇa (समानााधिकरण/Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prakṛti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अस्माकम्: of us, our
• अस्माकम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• विकारः: modification, product
• विकारः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vikāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• स्वजनः: kinsman, one’s own person
• स्वजनः: Samānādhikaraṇa (समानााधिकरण/Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svajana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• मम: of me, my
• मम: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

Speaker

Unspecified (philosophical exposition; speaker not explicit in the excerpt)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic procession: five subtle-element figures (tanmātras) walking beside the ego-persona; Prakṛti as the source behind them; the ‘svajana’ crowd revealed as shifting patterns of nature.

Characters & Entities

• Tanmātra
• Prakṛti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

What we call ‘mine’ is largely the play of nature’s evolutes; recognizing this supports detachment and clarity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of Vastrāpatha-kṣetra-māhātmya in the Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; it recommends contemplative knowledge of the subtle principles (tanmātras).