Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

संहर्त्रे च ततः पश्चान्नमो नारायणाय ते । नमः शफररूपाय कमठाय चिदात्मने

Transliteration

saṃhartre ca tataḥ paścānnamo nārāyaṇāya te | namaḥ śaphararūpāya kamaṭhāya cidātmane

Translation

«Puis, hommage à Toi comme Dissolveur; hommage à Toi, Nārāyaṇa. Hommage à Toi sous la forme du Poisson, et à Toi comme la Tortue, Toi dont l’essence est pure conscience».

Word by Word

• संहर्त्रे: to the destroyer
• संहर्त्रे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संहर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• पश्चात्: afterwards
• पश्चात्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चात् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambandha (Salutation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable interjection; नमस्-शब्दस्य अव्ययीभावप्रयोगः)

• नारायणाय: to Nārāyaṇa
• नारायणाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambandha (Salutation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (salutatory particle)

• शफररूपाय: to the one whose form is a fish
• शफररूपाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शफर-रूप (प्रातिपदिक; शफर + रूप)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कमठाय: to the tortoise (incarnation)
• कमठाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कमठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• चिदात्मने: to the consciousness-self
• चिदात्मने: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्-आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक; चित् + आत्मन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Mudgala

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu/Setubandha (Setukṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nārāyaṇa

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mudgala’s hymn expands: he salutes the Lord as dissolver, then names Nārāyaṇa, then invokes oceanic avatāras—Fish and Tortoise—ending with a profound address to the Lord as pure consciousness.

Characters & Entities

• Nārāyaṇa
• Matsya (Śaphararūpa)
• Kūrma (Kamaṭha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The One Lord is worshipped across cosmic functions (creation–preservation–dissolution) and through avatāra forms, while remaining the consciousness-essence (cidātmā).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The praise is embedded in the Kṣīrakuṇḍa tīrtha narrative of the Setukhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Recitation of divine names and avatāra-remembrance as stotra/kīrtana.