Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

गुह्यं दिवसनाथाय नाभिं द्वादश मूर्तये । बाहू च पद्महस्ताय हृदयं तीक्ष्णदीधिते

Transliteration

guhyaṃ divasanāthāya nābhiṃ dvādaśa mūrtaye | bāhū ca padmahastāya hṛdayaṃ tīkṣṇadīdhite

Translation

Man verehre den geheimen Teil mit dem Namen „Herr des Tages“; den Nabel mit dem Namen „Der Zwölfförmige“; die Arme mit dem Namen „Lotushändig“; und das Herz mit dem Namen „Scharfstrahlig“.

Word by Word

• guhyam: the genital region
• guhyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• divasa-nāthāya: to the lord of the day
• divasa-nāthāya: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: divasa (प्रातिपदिक) + nātha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी): दिवसस्य नाथः (lord of the day)

• nābhim: the navel
• nābhim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nābhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• dvādaśa: twelve
• dvādaśa: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvādaśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्या-शब्दः (indeclinable numeral in form); (mūrtaye इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• mūrtaye: to the form/embodiment
• mūrtaye: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन

• bāhū: (the two) arms
• bāhū: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), द्विवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction): च (and)

• padma-hastāya: to the lotus-handed one
• padma-hastāya: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: padma (प्रातिपदिक) + hasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: पद्मः हस्ते यस्य (lotus-handed)

• hṛdayam: the heart
• hṛdayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛdaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• tīkṣṇa-dīdhite: to the sharp-rayed one
• tīkṣṇa-dīdhite: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīkṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + dīdhiti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; कर्मधारय: तीक्ष्णा दीधितिः यस्य (one of sharp radiance)

Speaker

Deductive (Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narration; likely Skanda instructing a listener)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king) implied by surrounding address

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual diagram-like depiction: the Sūrya icon with highlighted limbs (navel, arms, heart), each annotated by epithets; devotee offers flowers and touches in sequence.

Characters & Entities

• Divasanātha (Sūrya)
• Dvādaśa-mūrti (twelve forms of Sūrya/Ādityas)
• Padmahasta
• Tīkṣṇa-dīdhiti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Sun is contemplated as pervading the whole body and cosmos; worship trains the mind to see divine order in every limb and function.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to a tīrtha-māhātmya setting, but the specific tīrtha is not named in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Mantra-guided aṅga-pūjā: worship of guhya, navel, arms, and heart with distinct epithets of Sūrya.