Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

अन्धक उवाच । नमस्ते जगतां धात्रे शर्वाय त्रिगुणात्मने । वृषभासनसंस्थाय शशांककृतभूषण

Transliteration

andhaka uvāca | namaste jagatāṃ dhātre śarvāya triguṇātmane | vṛṣabhāsanasaṃsthāya śaśāṃkakṛtabhūṣaṇa

Translation

Andhaka sprach: Verehrung sei Dir, dem Erhalter der Welten—Śarva, dessen Wesen die drei Guṇas durchdringt; der auf dem Stier Vṛṣabha thront und den Mond als Schmuck trägt.

Word by Word

• अन्धकः: Andhaka
• अन्धकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्धक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘said’

• नमः: salutations
• नमः: Sambodhana/Prayojana (Salutation/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्राय (indeclinable interjection) ‘salutation’

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया/चतुर्थी-एकवचनरूपम् (enclitic) ‘to you’; प्रयोगे दत्तिः (dative sense)

• जगताम्: of the worlds
• जगताम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• धात्रे: to the sustainer/creator
• धात्रे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• शर्वाय: to Śarva (Śiva)
• शर्वाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन

• त्रिगुणात्मने: to the one whose essence is the three guṇas
• त्रिगुणात्मने: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि-गुण-आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक; त्रि + गुण + आत्मन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘त्रयाणां गुणानां आत्मा’

• वृषभासनसंस्थाय: to the one seated on the bull (Nandin)
• वृषभासनसंस्थाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृषभ-आसन-संस्था (प्रातिपदिक; वृषभ + आसन + संस्था)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन; सप्तमी/तत्पुरुषभावः ‘वृषभासने संस्थः’ (seated on the bull-seat)

• शशांककृतभूषण: O you whose ornament is the moon
• शशांककृतभूषण: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शशाङ्क-कृत-भूषण (प्रातिपदिक; शशाङ्क + कृत + भूषण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः ‘शशाङ्केन कृतं भूषणं यस्य’ (moon-made ornament)

Speaker

Andhaka

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Andhaka begins his hymn: hands folded, eyes lifted; Śiva appears as Śarva—seated upon Nandin, moon adorning his matted hair—radiating the calm authority of the world-sustainer.

Characters & Entities

• Andhaka
• Śiva (Śarva, Maheśvara)
• Nandin (implied by vṛṣabha)
• Moon (śaśāṅka)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True refuge is in Śiva, the cosmic sustainer; praise (stuti) marks the turning from ego toward surrender.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named in this verse; it is a devotional address to Śiva within a Tīrthamāhātmya chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription; the verse itself functions as a stotra line suitable for recitation.