Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । प्रणवः सर्वदेवानामादिरेष प्रकीर्तितः । ब्रह्मा विष्णुः शिवश्चैव वसंति दयितायुताः

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | praṇavaḥ sarvadevānāmādireṣa prakīrtitaḥ | brahmā viṣṇuḥ śivaścaiva vasaṃti dayitāyutāḥ

Translation

Īśvara sprach: „Der Praṇava (Oṃ) wird als der uranfängliche Ursprung aller Götter verkündet. In ihm wohnen Brahmā, Viṣṇu und Śiva ebenso, zusammen mit ihren geliebten Gemahlinnen.“

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• प्रणवः: praṇava (Oṃ)
• प्रणवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: praṇava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• सर्वदेवानाम्: of all the gods
• सर्वदेवानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural); समासः—कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष (सर्वे देवाः)

• आदिः: the beginning/first
• आदिः: Predicate nominal (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• एषः: this
• एषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रकीर्तितः: is proclaimed
• प्रकीर्तितः: Predicate (state/भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + कीर्त् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• विष्णुः: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• शिवः: Śiva
• शिवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Emphasis (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• वसन्ति: dwell/abide
• वसन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• दयितायुताः: accompanied by (their) beloveds
• दयितायुताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दयिता + युत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); समासः—तृतीया-तत्पुरुष (दयितया युताः = accompanied by their beloveds)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Īśvara explains the cosmic status of Oṃ: within the praṇava reside Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Śiva and their consorts, as if the syllable is a luminous mandala containing the pantheon.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara
• Praṇava (Oṃ)
• Brahmā
• Viṣṇu
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Oṃ (Praṇava) is upheld as the primordial spiritual principle in which the major deities are understood to abide.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is doctrinal within the Tīrthamāhātmya context; the specific tīrtha is not named in this shloka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, reverence for Praṇava is taught; no explicit vrata, dāna, or snāna is prescribed in this verse.