Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

देहीति प्रोच्यते देहे स चात्मानं च पश्यति । विंदन्ति परमात्मानं षष्ठं तं विंशतेः परम्

Transliteration

dehīti procyate dehe sa cātmānaṃ ca paśyati | viṃdanti paramātmānaṃ ṣaṣṭhaṃ taṃ viṃśateḥ param

Translation

เมื่อสถิตอยู่ในกาย เขาถูกเรียกว่า ‘เทหี’ และเขาย่อมเห็นอาตมันด้วย เขาทั้งหลายบรรลุปรมาตมันผู้เหนือยี่สิบ—นับพระองค์เป็น ‘ที่หก’ อันอยู่เหนือสิ่งเหล่านั้น

Word by Word

• देही: (one is called) the embodied
• देही: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; इति-शब्देन नामनिर्देश

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• प्रोच्यते: is called
• प्रोच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive: 'is called/said')

• देहे: in the body
• देहे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• आत्मानम्: the self
• आत्मानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• पश्यति: sees
• पश्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• विन्दन्ति: find, realize
• विन्दन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• परमात्मानम्: the Supreme Self
• परमात्मानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (परमः आत्मा)

• षष्ठम्: as the sixth
• षष्ठम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षष्ठ (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; क्रमसंख्यावाचक-विशेषण (तम् इति)

• तम्: him/that
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• विंशतेः: of twenty
• विंशतेः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विंशति (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• परम्: beyond, higher than
• परम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; उपपद-विशेषण (विंशतेः परम् = beyond twenty)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A meditator sits in a temple-maṇḍapa; within his chest a small luminous figure (ātman) is reflected like a mirror-image, while above/behind is an all-pervading radiance signifying Paramātman beyond categories.

Characters & Entities

• dehī
• ātman
• paramātman

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The yogin must move from bodily identity (dehī in deha) to direct vision of Ātman and then to realization of Paramātman beyond enumerated categories.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is situated in Vastrāpatha-kṣetra Māhātmya (Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa), implying that contemplation at this kṣetra supports higher self-knowledge.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is specified; the focus is contemplative realization of Ātman/Paramātman.