Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

नामव्याहरणं विष्णोर्यतस्तद्विषया मतिः । त्रिशिरा धूम्रहस्ता सा शक्रं ग्रस्तुमुपाययौ

Transliteration

nāmavyāharaṇaṃ viṣṇoryatastadviṣayā matiḥ | triśirā dhūmrahastā sā śakraṃ grastumupāyayau

Translation

Weil ihr Geist darauf gerichtet war—auf das Aussprechen des Namens Viṣṇus—trat sie (Brahmahatyā), dreiköpfig und mit rauchdunklen Händen, vor, um Śakra (Indra) zu packen.

Word by Word

• nāma: name
• nāma: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद (in compound)

• vyāharaṇam: uttering
• vyāharaṇam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vy-ā-√hṛ (धातु) + ana (प्रत्यय) → vyāharaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; भाववाचक-कर्तृ/क्रियानाम (verbal noun: uttering)

• nāmavyāharaṇam: utterance of the name
• nāmavyāharaṇam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman + vyāharaṇa (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (name-uttering)

• viṣṇoḥ: of Viṣṇu
• viṣṇoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• yataḥ: because/whence
• yataḥ: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatas (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कारणार्थक-सम्बन्धबोधक (relative adverb: 'because/whence')

• tat: that
• tat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद (in compound)

• viṣayā: having as its object
• viṣayā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (having as object/pertaining to)

• tadviṣayā: focused on that
• tadviṣayā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad + viṣaya (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः (that as its object)

• matiḥ: thought/mind
• matiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• triśirāḥ: three-headed
• triśirāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri + śiras (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (one who has three heads)

• dhūmrahastā: smoke-handed
• dhūmrahastā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhūmra + hasta (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (smoke-colored-handed / smoky-handed)

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• śakram: Śakra (Indra)
• śakram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• grastum: to swallow
• grastum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gras (धातु)
• Form: तुमुनन्त (infinitive), परस्मैपदी; क्रियार्थक (to swallow)

• upāyayau: approached/came near
• upāyayau: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-ā-√yā (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदी

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra/Kedāranātha kṣetra (contextual frame)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas/ṛṣis (explicit vocative appears nearby)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmahatyā appears as a terrifying feminine personification—three-headed, smoke-dark hands—advancing to seize Indra, whose mind clings to the utterance of Viṣṇu’s name.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Brahmahatyā
• Śakra (Indra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Remembrance of the Divine Name is a spiritual refuge, yet the force of sin still compels confrontation and purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named in this verse; it focuses on nāma-smaraṇa and the pursuit motif.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Nāma-vyāharaṇa (uttering/reciting Viṣṇu’s name) is referenced as a devotional practice.