Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

नमस्ते विष्णुरूपाय नमस्तुभ्यमपां पते । सान्निध्यं कुरु देवेश सागरे लवणाम्भसि । इति स्पर्शनमन्त्रः

Transliteration

namaste viṣṇurūpāya namastubhyamapāṃ pate | sānnidhyaṃ kuru deveśa sāgare lavaṇāmbhasi | iti sparśanamantraḥ

Translation

«Hommage à Toi dont la forme est Viṣṇu ; hommage à Toi, Seigneur des eaux. Ô Seigneur des dieux, accorde Ta présence dans l’océan aux eaux salées.» Tel est le mantra du “toucher” (sparśana).

Word by Word

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambandha (Salutation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् निपात-प्रयोग (indeclinable interjection of salutation)

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी, एकवचन (enclitic); here dative sense with नमः (to you)

• विष्णुरूपाय: to (you) of Viṣṇu-form
• विष्णुरूपाय: Sampradana (Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन; विष्णोः रूपम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambandha (Salutation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: निपात (salutation)

• तुभ्यम्: to you
• तुभ्यम्: Sampradana (Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी, एकवचन

• अपाम्: of waters
• अपाम्: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अप् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• पते: O lord
• पते: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• सान्निध्यम्: presence
• सान्निध्यम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सान्निध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• कुरु: make/do
• कुरु: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• देवेश: O lord of gods
• देवेश: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; देवानाम् ईशः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• सागरे: in the ocean
• सागरे: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• लवणाम्भसि: in the salty water
• लवणाम्भसि: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लवण (प्रातिपदिक) + अम्भस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; लवणम् अम्भः (कर्मधारय)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-समाप्तिसूचक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• स्पर्शनमन्त्रः: the touching-mantra
• स्पर्शनमन्त्रः: Karta (Predicate nominative/Label)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्पर्शन (प्रातिपदिक) + मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; स्पर्शनस्य मन्त्रः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Narrator prescribing a mantra (snāna/sparśana-vidhi) to Yudhiṣṭhira

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadā-udadhi-saṅgama (Sparśana-mantra)

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Royal addressee (nṛpasattama/rājendra) and Kaunteya in the instructional frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee at the shoreline, hands in añjali, facing the vast sea; above the waves a subtle Viṣṇu-form (or a divine watery lord) is envisioned; the mantra text is conceptually ‘written’ in the air as sacred sound.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Apāṃ Pati (Lord of Waters)
• Deveśa
• Sāgara (Ocean)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mantra sacralizes contact: the devotee invokes divine presence in natural waters, transforming bathing into worship and purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The sāgara (salt ocean) at the Narmadā–Sāgara-saṅgama, approached through mantra rather than casual touch.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Recite this sparśana-mantra to invoke the Lord’s presence in the salty ocean water as part of the bathing/approach rite.