Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

नमो विश्वादिरूपाय विश्वप्रथमसाक्षिणे । नमः सन्मात्रतत्त्वाय बोधानंदघनाय च

Transliteration

namo viśvādirūpāya viśvaprathamasākṣiṇe | namaḥ sanmātratattvāya bodhānaṃdaghanāya ca

Translation

Verehrung Dir, dessen Gestalt der Ursprung des Universums ist, der urerste Zeuge des Kosmos. Verehrung Dir, der Du reines Sein allein bist—dichte Fülle von Bewusstsein und Seligkeit.

Word by Word

• namaḥ: salutations
• namaḥ: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन-प्रयोग; salutation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nam (धातु)
• Form: अव्यय; नमः-इति नमस्कारार्थक-निपात (indeclinable particle of salutation)

• viśvādirūpāya: to the one whose form is the universe and its beginning
• viśvādirūpāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान; recipient of salutation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśva + ādi + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (viśva-ādi-rūpa = whose form is the universe etc.)

• viśvaprathamasākṣiṇe: to the witness of the universe’s first (origin)
• viśvaprathamasākṣiṇe: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśva + prathama + sākṣin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (viśva-prathama-sākṣin = witness of the first/origin of the universe)

• namaḥ: salutations
• namaḥ: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन-प्रयोग)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nam (धातु)
• Form: अव्यय; नमः-इति नमस्कारार्थक-निपात

• sanmātratattvāya: to the principle of pure being alone
• sanmātratattvāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sat + mātra + tattva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (तत्त्व-शब्दाधारित), चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (sat-mātra-tattva = the principle of mere Being)

• bodhānaṃdaghanāya: to the dense mass of consciousness and bliss
• bodhānaṃdaghanāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bodha + ānanda + ghana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (bodha-ānanda-ghana = a mass/solid of consciousness and bliss)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध; coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

Speaker

King (Rājā) praising Śiva (implicit in the surrounding stuti)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage in meditation offers namaskāra to a formless yet luminous presence: a vast, serene radiance containing subtle cosmic motifs (sun, moon, stars) while remaining centered as pure light.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva is praised as the source of the cosmos and the inner Witness—pure Being, Consciousness, and Bliss.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as a universal Śiva-stuti within the Brahmottarakhaṇḍa context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed here; the implied practice is stotra/japa—devotional praise of Śiva.