Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 75

Devanagari script

नमो रुद्राय भीमाय नीलकण्ठाय वेधसे । कपर्द्धिने सुरेशाय व्योमकेशाय वै नमः

Transliteration

namo rudrāya bhīmāya nīlakaṇṭhāya vedhase | kaparddhine sureśāya vyomakeśāya vai namaḥ

Translation

Hommage à Rudra, le Terrible; hommage à Nīlakaṇṭha, à la gorge bleue; hommage à Vedhas, l’Ordonnateur; hommage à Kapardin, aux mèches nouées; hommage au Seigneur des dieux; et hommage, oui, à Vyomakeśa, dont la chevelure est le ciel.

Word by Word

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana/Prayojaka (Salutation particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: निपात (अव्यय) — particle of salutation; governs dative

• रुद्राय: to Rudra
• रुद्राय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन — Masculine, Dative (4th), Singular

• भीमाय: to Bhīma (the terrible one)
• भीमाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Dative, Singular

• नीलकण्ठाय: to Nīlakaṇṭha (blue-throated)
• नीलकण्ठाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नील (प्रातिपदिक) + कण्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Dative, Singular

• वेधसे: to the creator/ordainer
• वेधसे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेधस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Dative, Singular

• कपर्द्धिने: to the matted-haired one
• कपर्द्धिने: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपर्द्धिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Dative, Singular

• सुरेशाय: to the lord of the gods
• सुरेशाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Dative, Singular

• व्योमकेशाय: to him whose hair is the sky
• व्योमकेशाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्योमन् (प्रातिपदिक) + केश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Dative, Singular

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (अव्यय) — emphatic particle

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana/Prayojaka (Salutation particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: निपात (अव्यय) — particle of salutation

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devotee-audience/ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A chanter before the liṅga intones ‘namo rudrāya bhīmāya…’, while visions of Rudra’s forms—blue throat, matted locks, sky-like hair—arise in the mind’s eye.

Characters & Entities

• Rudra
• Nīlakaṇṭha
• Kapardin
• Sureśa
• Vyomakeśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Remembering Śiva through His many names reveals His cosmic powers—fearsome, compassionate, and all-pervading.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra/Kedārakṣetra, where such name-praise is prescribed in the Kedārakhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Stuti through divine epithets—reciting names of Rudra as part of worship.