Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

चन्द्रसूर्यौ च नयने दिशः श्रोत्रे नासिकाश्विनौ । आत्मानं ब्रह्मरंध्रस्थमाहुस्त्वां वेदवादिनः

Transliteration

candrasūryau ca nayane diśaḥ śrotre nāsikāśvinau | ātmānaṃ brahmaraṃdhrasthamāhustvāṃ vedavādinaḥ

Translation

Mond und Sonne, so heißt es, sind Deine beiden Augen; die Himmelsrichtungen sind Deine Ohren; die Aśvins sind Deine Nasenlöcher. Die Kenner der Veden verkünden, Du seist das Selbst (Ātman), das im brahma-randhra, der Scheitelöffnung, weilt.

Word by Word

• candra-sūryau: the moon and the sun
• candra-sūryau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: candra (प्रातिपदिक) + sūrya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), द्विवचन; समासः—चन्द्रः + सूर्यः (द्वन्द्व)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• nayane: in the two eyes / the two eyes
• nayane: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nayana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/सप्तमी (1st/7th case), द्विवचन; अत्र ‘नयने’ = नेत्रयोः (locative sense)

• diśaḥ: the directions
• diśaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: diś (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन

• śrotre: in the two ears / the two ears
• śrotre: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrotra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/सप्तमी (1st/7th case), द्विवचन; अत्र ‘श्रोत्रे’ = कर्णयोः (locative sense)

• nāsikā-aśvinau: the Aśvins (as the nostrils)
• nāsikā-aśvinau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāsikā (प्रातिपदिक) + aśvin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), द्विवचन; समासः—नासिका + अश्विनौ (द्वन्द्व; अर्थतः ‘नासिकयोः अश्विनौ’)

• ātmānam: the Self
• ātmānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• brahma-randhra-stham: situated in the brahma-randhra (crown aperture)
• brahma-randhra-stham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + randhra (प्रातिपदिक) + stha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; समासः—ब्रह्मरन्ध्रे स्थितः (सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष/उपपद-तत्पुरुष)

• āhuḥ: they say
• āhuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ah (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• tvām: you
• tvām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• vedavādinaḥ: the Veda-speakers
• vedavādinaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vedavādin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; समासः—वेद + वादिन् (तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Devas (hymning Virāṭ/Puruṣa—cosmic form, addressed to Virañci/Brahmā’s principle in context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Virāṭ face: one eye as Sun, the other as Moon; ears opening to the ten directions; nostrils marked by the twin Aśvins; a luminous aperture at the crown signifying brahma-randhra with the Self enthroned as pure light.

Characters & Entities

• Candra
• Sūrya
• Diśaḥ (Directions)
• Aśvinau
• Veda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

See the Divine as the indwelling Self and as the cosmos itself—outer universe and inner consciousness are one sacred reality.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it is a cosmic-theological praise (Virāṭ mapping) rather than a place-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse supports contemplative upāsanā—meditating on the Divine as the cosmic body and inner Self.