Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

नमो वेदांतवेद्याय वेदमूलनिवासिने । नमो विविक्तचेष्टाय निवृत्तगुण वृत्तये

Transliteration

namo vedāṃtavedyāya vedamūlanivāsine | namo viviktaceṣṭāya nivṛttaguṇa vṛttaye

Translation

Salutations to You who are known through Vedānta, who abide at the very root of the Vedas. Salutations to You whose activity is utterly detached, whose ways are free from the movements of the guṇas.

Word by Word

• namaḥ: salutations
• namaḥ: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन-प्रयोग)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nam (धातु)
• Form: अव्यय; नमः-इति नमस्कारार्थक-निपात

• vedāntavedyāya: to the one knowable by Vedānta
• vedāntavedyāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: veda-anta + vedya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (vedānta-vedya = knowable through Vedānta)

• vedamūlanivāsine: to the one dwelling in the Veda’s root
• vedamūlanivāsine: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda + mūla + nivāsin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (veda-mūla-nivāsin = abiding in the root/source of the Veda)

• namaḥ: salutations
• namaḥ: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन-प्रयोग)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nam (धातु)
• Form: अव्यय; नमः-इति नमस्कारार्थक-निपात

• viviktaceṣṭāya: to the one of distinct (withdrawn) activity
• viviktaceṣṭāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vivikta + ceṣṭā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (चेष्टा), चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (vivikta-ceṣṭā = distinct/solitary activity)

• nivṛttaguṇavṛttaye: to the one whose activity is withdrawn from the guṇas
• nivṛttaguṇavṛttaye: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nivṛtta + guṇa + vṛtti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (वृत्ति), चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (nivṛtta-guṇa-vṛtti = whose function is withdrawn from the guṇas)

Speaker

King (Rājā) praising Śiva (implicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage holds palm-leaf Upaniṣads; behind him a serene Śiva-like luminous presence, while the three guṇas are symbolized as colored strands (white/red/black) lying stilled at the feet.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Veda
• Vedānta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva is the Vedāntic reality—root of the Vedas—beyond the guṇas and worldly entanglement.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is mentioned; the focus is philosophical praise.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; it implies study/contemplation (Vedānta) and detached devotion to Śiva.