Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

सूक्ष्मातिसूक्ष्मं प्रवदन्ति यच्च वाचो निवर्तन्ति मनो यतश्च

Transliteration

sūkṣmātisūkṣmaṃ pravadanti yacca vāco nivartanti mano yataśca

Translation

เขาทั้งหลายกล่าวว่า พระองค์นั้นละเอียดกว่าสิ่งที่ละเอียดที่สุด—ที่ซึ่งถ้อยคำต้องหวนกลับ และที่ซึ่งจิตใจก็ถอยคืน

Word by Word

• सूक्ष्मातिसूक्ष्मम्: the extremely subtle
• सूक्ष्मातिसूक्ष्मम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सूक्ष्म + अतिसूक्ष्म (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मपद (object of ‘प्रवदन्ति’)

• प्रवदन्ति: they declare/say
• प्रवदन्ति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• यत्: which/that (which)
• यत्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय

• वाचः: words/speech
• वाचः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• निवर्तन्ति: turn back/cease
• निवर्तन्ति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वृत् (धातु) + नि (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• मनः: mind
• मनः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यतः: from which/whence
• यतः: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यतस् (अव्यय; यद्-तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय; कारण/अपादानार्थक (from which/whence)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय

Speaker

Likely Indra / Devas (continuing stuti); exact speaker not explicit in the snippet

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A near-abstract depiction of the supreme: Śiva as a subtle, formless radiance; Brahmā’s words dissolve into silence, suggesting the retreat of speech and mind.

Characters & Entities

• Ineffable Supreme (Śiva/Brahman implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ultimate reality exceeds speech and thought; reverence and inner stillness are the doorway where concepts fail.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None is specified in this half-verse; it is a metaphysical climax within a hymn.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; it points toward contemplative worship beyond words (mānasa-bhakti/jñāna).