Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

नमो हरस्वरूपाय भूतसंहारकारिणे । महाभूतात्मभूताय भूतानां पतये नमः

Transliteration

namo harasvarūpāya bhūtasaṃhārakāriṇe | mahābhūtātmabhūtāya bhūtānāṃ pataye namaḥ

Translation

Verehrung Dir, dessen Gestalt Hara ist, der das Auflösen der Wesen bewirkt; Verehrung Dir, der Du das Selbst der großen Elemente bist, Herr und Gebieter aller Geschöpfe.

Word by Word

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambandha (Salutation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोग; नमस्कारार्थे

• हरस्वरूपाय: to the one whose form is Hara
• हरस्वरूपाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर + स्वरूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन

• भूतसंहारकारिणे: to the doer of the destruction of beings
• भूतसंहारकारिणे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत + संहार + कारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन; 'कारिन्' = कर्तृवाचक

• महाभूतात्मभूताय: to the one who is the very essence of the great elements
• महाभूतात्मभूताय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाभूत + आत्मभूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन; आत्मभूत = 'स्वरूपभूत/स्वभावभूत'

• भूतानाम्: of beings
• भूतानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध

• पतये: to the lord
• पतये: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambandha (Salutation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोग; नमस्कारार्थे (पुनरुक्ति)

Speaker

Dhruva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dhruva praises the Lord as Hara—cosmic dissolver—while the five great elements swirl as subtle mandalas around the deity, showing immanence and mastery over all beings.

Characters & Entities

• Dhruva
• Hara (as an aspect/epithet)
• Bhūtas (beings/elements)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Supreme governs creation and dissolution and pervades the elements—inviting reverence beyond sectarian division.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

It belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī narrative milieu rather than naming a particular tīrtha in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a theological salutation (namaskāra) within a hymn.