Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

नमो भवायास्तु भवोद्भवाय नमोस्तु ते ध्वस्तमनोभवाय । नमोऽस्तु ते गूढमहाव्रताय नमोऽस्तु मायगहनाश्रयाय

Transliteration

namo bhavāyāstu bhavodbhavāya namostu te dhvastamanobhavāya | namo'stu te gūḍhamahāvratāya namo'stu māyagahanāśrayāya

Translation

Salutation to Bhava, the source of all becoming; salutation to You who have destroyed the god of desire. Salutation to You whose great vow is hidden; salutation to You, the support of Māyā’s deep mystery.

Word by Word

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधनार्थ/उपचार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नमस्कारार्थक-निपात

• भवाय: to Bhava (Śiva)
• भवाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (शिवनाम)

• अस्तु: may it be
• अस्तु: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• भवोद्भवाय: to the source of becoming; origin of existence
• भवोद्भवाय: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भवोद्भव (प्रातिपदिक: भव + उद्भव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (भवात् उद्भवः = arising from existence / source of becoming); विशेषण

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधनार्थ/उपचार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नमस्कारार्थक-निपात

• अस्तु: may it be
• अस्तु: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (enclitic)

• ध्वस्तमनोभवाय: to the destroyer of Kāma (mind-born)
• ध्वस्तमनोभवाय: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ध्वस्तमनोभव (प्रातिपदिक: ध्वस्त + मनोभव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-समास (मनोभवः = कामदेव; ध्वस्तः मनोभवः यस्य/येन = destroyer of Kāma); विशेषण

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधनार्थ/उपचार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नमस्कारार्थक-निपात

• अस्तु: may it be
• अस्तु: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (enclitic)

• गूढमहाव्रताय: to the one with a hidden great vow
• गूढमहाव्रताय: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गूढमहाव्रत (प्रातिपदिक: गूढ + महाव्रत)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (गूढं महाव्रतं यस्य = whose great vow is hidden/secret); विशेषण

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधनार्थ/उपचार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नमस्कारार्थक-निपात

• अस्तु: may it be
• अस्तु: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मायगहनाश्रयाय: to the refuge of the deep māyā
• मायगहनाश्रयाय: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मायगहनाश्रय (प्रातिपदिक: माया + गहन + आश्रय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (मायायाः गहनम् आश्रयः/आश्रितः = refuge/support of the deep mystery of māyā); विशेषण

Speaker

Guha (Skanda/Kumāra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva as yogin with third eye blazing; Kāma (Manobhava) falling, his bow and flower-arrows scattered; behind, a veil-like cosmic māyā pattern supported by Śiva’s stillness.

Characters & Entities

• Guha
• Śiva (Bhava)
• Kāma (Manobhava)
• Māyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva is praised as the transcendent Lord who overcomes desire and upholds the cosmos even amid the mystery of Māyā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not named directly in this verse; it functions as a stotra within the Kumāreśvara-kṣetra narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Devotional praise (stotra) through repeated salutations to Śiva’s divine epithets.