Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

निराभासाय नित्याय सत्यज्ञानांतरात्मने । विशुद्धाय विदूराय विमुक्ताशेषकर्मणे

Transliteration

nirābhāsāya nityāya satyajñānāṃtarātmane | viśuddhāya vidūrāya vimuktāśeṣakarmaṇe

Translation

Salutations to the Everlasting One, free from all illusory appearance, whose inner essence is truth and knowledge. Salutations to the Pure and the Transcendent, liberated from all remaining karma.

Word by Word

• nirābhāsāya: to the one without (mere) appearance
• nirābhāsāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nir- + ābhāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; उपसर्ग-पूर्वक-प्रातिपदिक (nirābhāsa = without appearance/manifestation)

• nityāya: to the eternal
• nityāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• satyajñānāṃtarātmane: to the one whose inner self is true knowledge
• satyajñānāṃtarātmane: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: satya + jñāna + antara + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (आत्मन्), चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (satya-jñāna-antara-ātman = whose inner self is true knowledge)

• viśuddhāya: to the perfectly pure
• viśuddhāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi- + śuddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• vidūrāya: to the far (beyond)
• vidūrāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi- + dūra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• vimuktāśeṣakarmaṇe: to the one freed from all karma
• vimuktāśeṣakarmaṇe: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vi- + mukta + aśeṣa + karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (कर्मन्), चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (vimukta-aśeṣa-karma = freed from all actions/karmas)

Speaker

King (Rājā) praising Śiva (implicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pure, empty luminous space (ākāśa-like) with a faint lingākāra or bindu of light; below, a pilgrim’s karmic bonds depicted as dissolving threads.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva is portrayed as eternally pure truth-consciousness, untouched by karma and beyond deceptive appearances.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named; it is a doctrinal praise emphasizing liberation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it implicitly encourages contemplation and praise of Śiva’s purity and freedom.