Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

समाप्य मातृका भूयो ध्यात्वा चैव परं शिवम् । वामभागे गुरुं नत्वा दक्षिणे गणपं नमेत्

Transliteration

samāpya mātṛkā bhūyo dhyātvā caiva paraṃ śivam | vāmabhāge guruṃ natvā dakṣiṇe gaṇapaṃ namet

Translation

Nachdem man die Mātr̥kā‑Nyāsa vollendet hat, soll man erneut über den höchsten Śiva meditieren. Dann verneige man sich zur linken Seite vor dem Guru und erweise zur rechten Seite Gaṇapa (Gaṇeśa) Verehrung.

Word by Word

• समाप्य: having completed
• समाप्य: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आप् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), ‘having completed’

• मातृकाम्: the mātṛkā
• मातृकाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भूयः: again
• भूयः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भूयस् (प्रातिपदिक/अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण), ‘पुनः/अधिकम्’

• ध्यात्वा: having meditated
• ध्यात्वा: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्यै (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त, ‘having meditated’

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

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निश्चय/अवधारण particle)

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (शिवम्)

• शिवम्: Śiva
• शिवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वामभागे: on the left side
• वामभागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाम + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-समासः (वामः भागः)

• गुरुम्: the guru
• गुरुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नत्वा: having bowed
• नत्वा: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त, ‘having bowed (to)’

• दक्षिणे: on the right (side)
• दक्षिणे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग-प्रयोगे, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; ‘दक्षिणे (भागे)’

• गणपम्: Gaṇapa (Gaṇeśa)
• गणपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गणप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नमेत्: should bow (to)
• नमेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Unspecified (contextual narrator in Brahmottarakhaṇḍa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A meditator, after completing letter-nyāsa, visualizes a radiant Śiva; to the left appears a venerable Guru figure receiving a bow; to the right, Gaṇeśa seated, blessing and removing obstacles; the composition emphasizes ritual symmetry and hierarchy.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Guru
• Gaṇapa (Gaṇeśa)
• Mātr̥kā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True worship is ordered: contemplate Śiva, honor the Guru, and invoke Gaṇeśa to remove obstacles.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is mentioned; the verse prescribes a universal worship sequence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

After mātṛkā-nyāsa, meditate on Supreme Śiva, then bow to the Guru (left) and Gaṇeśa (right).