Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

इति स्पृष्टस्तदा शंभुरुवाच हरिसेवकः । हरेर्नामसहस्राणां सारं ध्यायामि नित्यशः

Transliteration

iti spṛṣṭastadā śaṃbhuruvāca harisevakaḥ | harernāmasahasrāṇāṃ sāraṃ dhyāyāmi nityaśaḥ

Translation

ഇങ്ങനെ സ്പർശിക്കപ്പെട്ടപ്പോൾ ഹരി-സേവകനായ ശംഭു പറഞ്ഞു: “ഹരിയുടെ സഹസ്രനാമങ്ങളുടെ സാരം ഞാൻ നിത്യവും ധ്യാനിക്കുന്നു।”

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-शब्दः (quotative particle/‘thus’)

• स्पृष्टः: (he) being touched/addressed
• स्पृष्टः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्पृश् (धातु) → स्पृष्ट (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘touched/addressed’

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• शंभुः: Śambhu (Śiva)
• शंभुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• हरि-सेवकः: servant of Hari
• हरि-सेवकः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक) + सेवक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• हरेः: of Hari
• हरेः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• नाम-सहस्राणाम्: of the thousand names
• नाम-सहस्राणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘names-thousands’ = ‘thousand names’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• सारम्: essence
• सारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• ध्यायामि: I meditate on
• ध्यायामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्यै (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद; उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन

• नित्यशः: always
• नित्यशः: Adverbial (Kriya-viseshana/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्यशस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/आवृत्तिवाचक (adverb: always/constantly)

Speaker

Śiva (Śambhu)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śambhu, marked by matted locks and crescent moon, holds a rosary and meditates; a subtle vision of Hari’s thousand names appears as a luminous script or as Vishnu’s form within his heart-lotus, while the questioner listens in astonishment.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Śambhu)
• Hari (Viṣṇu)
• Hari-nāma-sahasra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse teaches devotional harmony: Śiva himself honors Hari’s names, showing that sincere bhakti transcends sectarian division.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; the focus is on nāma-mahātmya within the Tīrthamāhātmya chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Meditation (dhyāna) upon Hari’s nāma-sahasra (thousand names) is recommended.