Brahmanda Purana — Prakriya Pada, Shloka 52
Nīlakaṇṭha-nāmotpatti-kathana
Origin of the Epithet “Nīlakaṇṭha”
Devanagari script
आबभाषे कृपाविष्टो महादेवो महाद्युतिः / वक्त्रकोटिसहस्रेण ग्रसमान इवांबरम्
Transliteration
ābabhāṣe kṛpāviṣṭo mahādevo mahādyutiḥ / vaktrakoṭisahasreṇa grasamāna ivāṃbaram
Translation
Then Mahādeva, of vast splendor and filled with compassion, spoke—as though with thousands of millions of mouths he were swallowing the sky.
Word by Word
ābabhāṣespoke
ābabhāṣe:
Kriyā (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootā + √bhāṣ (भाष् धातु)
FormLiṭ (लिट्/perfect), Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana; parasmaipada/ātmanepada usage varies by tradition; here ‘he spoke’
kṛpā-āviṣṭaḥfilled with compassion
kṛpā-āviṣṭaḥ:
Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्तृ-समानााधिकरण)
TypeAdjective
Rootkṛpā (प्रातिपदिक) + āviṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक; from ā+√viś (विश् धातु) past participle)
FormPuṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; Tatpuruṣa: ‘kṛpayā āviṣṭaḥ’ (possessed/filled with compassion); āviṣṭa = kta-participle (क्त)
mahā-devaḥMahādeva
mahā-devaḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootmahā (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
FormPuṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; Karmadhāraya: ‘mahān devaḥ’ (the great god)
mahā-dyutiḥof great splendor
mahā-dyutiḥ:
Karta (कर्ता) apposition
TypeNoun
Rootmahā (प्रातिपदिक) + dyuti (प्रातिपदिक)
FormStrīliṅga (dyuti-śabda), Prathamā, Ekavacana; Karmadhāraya: ‘mahā dyutiḥ’ (great splendor) used as epithet
vaktra-koṭi-sahasreṇawith a crore-thousand mouths
vaktra-koṭi-sahasreṇa:
Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
TypeNoun
Rootvaktra (प्रातिपदिक) + koṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNapumsaka/puṃliṅga compound used instrumentally; Tṛtīyā (तृतीया/3), Ekavacana; compound sense: ‘vaktrāṇāṃ koṭi-sahasreṇa’ (by a crore-thousand mouths)
grasamānaḥdevouring
grasamānaḥ:
Karta (कर्ता) (describing Mahādeva)
TypeAdjective
Root√gras (ग्रस् धातु)
FormVartamāna-kṛdanta (वर्तमानकृदन्त), Śatṛ (शतृ) active present participle; Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana
ivaas if, like
iva:
Upamā-dyotaka (उपमा-द्योतक)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootiva (अव्यय)
FormAvyaya; upamā-vācaka (उपमावाचक)
ambaramthe sky
ambaram:
Karma (कर्म/Object)
TypeNoun
Rootambara (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNapumsaka, Dvitīyā (द्वितीया/2), Ekavacana