Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

नमस्ते परमे ब्राह्मि धारयोगे नमोनमः । अर्धमात्रे परे शून्ये तस्यार्धार्धे नमोस्तु ते

Transliteration

namaste parame brāhmi dhārayoge namonamaḥ | ardhamātre pare śūnye tasyārdhārdhe namostu te

Translation

ഹേ പരമ ബ്രാഹ്മീ! നിനക്കു നമസ്കാരം; ധാരണയോഗരൂപിണീ! നിനക്കു പുനഃപുനഃ നമസ്കാരം. പരാത്പര അർധമാത്ര, പരമ ശൂന്യ, ‘അർധത്തിന്റെ അർധ’മായ അതിസൂക്ഷ്മസ്വരൂപിണീ! നിനക്കു നമോऽസ്തു।

Word by Word

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana/Prayojana (Salutation/सम्बोधन-प्रयोग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st; interjectional use), एकवचन; नमस्कारार्थे

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; (to you)

• परमे: O supreme (one)
• परमे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• ब्राह्मि: O Brāhmī
• ब्राह्मि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• धारयोगे: O Dhārayoga (yoga of concentration)
• धारयोगे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धारयोग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—धार + योग (षष्ठी/तत्पुरुषः: 'धारायाः योगः' / 'yoga of concentration/support')

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana/Prayojana (Salutation/सम्बोधन-प्रयोग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नमस्कारार्थे

• नमः: salutation (again)
• नमः: Sambodhana/Prayojana (Salutation/सम्बोधन-प्रयोग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (emphatic repetition)

• अर्धमात्रे: O half-syllable/half-mātrā
• अर्धमात्रे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्धमात्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—अर्ध + मात्रा (कर्मधारयः: 'अर्धा मात्रा')

• परे: O transcendent (one)
• परे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• शून्ये: O void/emptiness
• शून्ये: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शून्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• तस्य: of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• अर्धार्धे: O half of a half
• अर्धार्धे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्धार्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—अर्ध + अर्ध (कर्मधारयः: 'अर्धस्य अर्धम्' / half of a half)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana/Prayojana (Salutation/सम्बोधन-प्रयोग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नमस्कारार्थे

• अस्तु: let it be
• अस्तु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/विधिलिङ्-आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन

Speaker

Deductive: A devotee/narrator within the Tīrthamāhātmya recitation (speaker not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devotee offers repeated namaskāra while the Devī is envisioned as a luminous, formless-yet-personal presence: a golden aura containing subtle syllabic glyphs (Oṃ/ardhamātrā) dissolving into a serene void-like backdrop.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Brahmī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Goddess is praised as the subtlest reality—beyond sound, measure, and conceptual grasp—yet sustaining all existence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse functions as a Devī-stuti within the Nāgara Khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya; the specific tīrtha name is not stated in the verse itself.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; it is a contemplative salutation (stuti) suitable for japa and devotional recitation.