Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

पितामह उवाच । रूपाणि तव देवेश पृथग्भूतान्यनेकशः । संख्यया परिहीनानि ध्येयानि सकलानि च

Transliteration

pitāmaha uvāca | rūpāṇi tava deveśa pṛthagbhūtānyanekaśaḥ | saṃkhyayā parihīnāni dhyeyāni sakalāni ca

Translation

Pitāmaha (Brahmā) sprach: „O Devēśa, Herr der Götter, deine Gestalten sind mannigfaltig, auf vielerlei Weise unterschieden – jenseits aller Zahl. Sie alle sind in ihrer Fülle zu betrachten und zu meditieren.“

Word by Word

• pitāmahaḥ: Pitāmaha (Brahmā)
• pitāmahaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitāmaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु; वचने)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• rūpāṇi: forms
• rūpāṇi: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन (neut. nom. pl.)

• tava: your
• tava: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• deveśa: O Lord of gods
• deveśa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (Voc.), एकवचन; देवेषु ईशः (gen./loc.-tatpuruṣa)

• pṛthak-bhūtāni: separate, distinct
• pṛthak-bhūtāni: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pṛthak (अव्यय) + bhūta (कृदन्त; √bhū सत्तायाम्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त विशेषण; पृथक् इति अव्ययीभावः ("separately become")

• anekaśaḥ: in many ways
• anekaśaḥ: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anekaśas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; बहुधार्थक (in many ways/many times)

• saṃkhyayā: by number, in count
• saṃkhyayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃkhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन (instr. sg.)

• parihīnāni: lacking, deficient
• parihīnāni: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parihīna (कृदन्त; pari-√hā त्यागे)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त विशेषण (deprived/lacking)

• dhyeyāni: to be meditated on
• dhyeyāni: Vidhi (Injunctional predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhyeya (कृदन्त; √dhyai चिन्तायाम्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विधेय-विशेषण; ध्येय (gerundive: "to be meditated upon")

• sakalāni: all
• sakalāni: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sakala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

Speaker

Brahmā (Pitāmaha)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Deveśa (the addressed Lord of gods)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā speaks in reverence to the Lord of gods, envisioning innumerable differentiated forms surrounding a central radiant divinity; a meditative aura pervades the sacrificial space.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā (Pitāmaha)
• Śiva (Deveśa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The divine is limitless; dhyāna expands by honoring the many manifestations of the one Lord.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named; the verse supports tīrtha-māhātmya themes by grounding them in the Lord’s all-pervading presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A contemplative prescription: meditate upon all forms of the Lord, understood as innumerable.