Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

चतुर्विंशतिभेदेन शालग्रामगतो हरिः । परीक्ष्यः पुरुषैर्नित्यमेकरूपः सदाशिवः

Transliteration

caturviṃśatibhedena śālagrāmagato hariḥ | parīkṣyaḥ puruṣairnityamekarūpaḥ sadāśivaḥ

Translation

Hari, der im Śālagrāma weilt, wird in vierundzwanzig Unterscheidungen von Gestalt beschrieben. Doch sollen die Verehrer ihn stets als den Einen erkennen—von einer einzigen Wesenheit—keinen anderen als Sadāśiva.

Word by Word

• caturviṃśatibhedena: by the twenty-fourfold classification
• caturviṃśatibhedena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: catur-viṃśati-bheda (प्रातिपदिक; चतुर् + विंशति + भेद)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; करण (by means of/according to the 24-fold division)

• śālagrāmagataḥ: present in the Śālagrāma (stone)
• śālagrāmagataḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śālagrāma-gata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; शालग्राम + गत (गम् धातु, क्त))
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त-विशेषण (gone/located in Śālagrāma)

• hariḥ: Hari (Viṣṇu)
• hariḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्ता

• parīkṣyaḥ: to be examined
• parīkṣyaḥ: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parīkṣya (कृदन्त; परि-ईक्ष् धातु, यत्/तव्यत्-अर्थे ‘to be examined’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (gerundive: should be examined)

• puruṣaiḥ: by people
• puruṣaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; करण/कर्ता-करण (by men)

• nityam: always
• nityam: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nityam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb: always)

• ekarūpaḥ: of one form
• ekarūpaḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka-rūpa (प्रातिपदिक; एक + रूप)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (of one form)

• sadāśivaḥ: Sadāśiva
• sadāśivaḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sadā-śiva (प्रातिपदिक; सदा + शिव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्ता/समनाधिकरण

Speaker

Narrator within the Tīrthamāhātmya frame (deductive: Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa to sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śālagrāma-kṣetra (Gaṇḍakī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee-sage examines a Śālagrāma with sacred markings; above it, a composite Hari-Hara vision: Viṣṇu’s attributes subtly merging into Sadāśiva’s serene form, indicating one essence behind twenty-four named manifestations.

Characters & Entities

• Hari
• Śālagrāma
• Sadāśiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Many sacred forms may be named, yet the devotee is urged to recognize the one supreme reality behind them—expressed here as Hari’s presence in Śālagrāma and unity with Sadāśiva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śālagrāma (traditionally associated with the Gaṇḍakī river region) is highlighted as a supreme locus of divine presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A contemplative prescription: devotees should ‘discern/examine’ (parīkṣyaḥ) the one essential divinity in Śālagrāma despite multiple classifications.