Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

तदीशरूपं निर्देहं निर्द्वंद्वं साक्षिमात्रकम् । शुद्धस्फटिकसंकाशं ध्यातृध्येयविवर्जितम् । नोपमेयमगाधं त्वं स्वीकुरुष्व स्वतेजसा

Transliteration

tadīśarūpaṃ nirdehaṃ nirdvaṃdvaṃ sākṣimātrakam | śuddhasphaṭikasaṃkāśaṃ dhyātṛdhyeyavivarjitam | nopameyamagādhaṃ tvaṃ svīkuruṣva svatejasā

Translation

ആ ഈശ്വരതത്ത്വം ദേഹരഹിതം, ദ്വന്ദ്വാതീതം, കേവലം സാക്ഷിചൈതന്യം. അത് ശുദ്ധസ്ഫടികംപോലെ ദീപ്തം—ധ്യാതാവും ധ്യേയവും എന്ന ഭേദമില്ല. ഹേ ദേവീ, നിന്റെ സ്വതേജസ്സാൽ ആ അനുപമവും അഗാധവും ആയ സത്യത്തെ അന്തരത്തിൽ സ്വീകരിക്കൂ.

Word by Word

• तदीशरूपम्: its lordly form
• तदीशरूपम्: Karma/Viśeṣya (Object/Qualified term)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (neuter nom/acc sg)

• निर्देहम्: bodiless
• निर्देहम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निः (उपसर्ग) + देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter nom/acc sg; adjective)

• निर्द्वन्द्वम्: free from dualities
• निर्द्वन्द्वम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निः (उपसर्ग) + द्वन्द्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter nom/acc sg; adjective)

• साक्षिमात्रकम्: mere witness alone
• साक्षिमात्रकम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: साक्षिन् (प्रातिपदिक) + मात्रक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (neuter nom/acc sg; adjective)

• शुद्धस्फटिकसंकाशम्: resembling pure crystal
• शुद्धस्फटिकसंकाशम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुद्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + स्फटिक (प्रातिपदिक) + संकाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष, विशेषण (neuter nom/acc sg; adjective)

• ध्यातृध्येयविवर्जितम्: devoid of meditator and object of meditation
• ध्यातृध्येयविवर्जितम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ध्यातृ (कृदन्त; √ध्यै (धातु) + तृच्, ‘meditator’) + ध्येय (कृदन्त; √ध्यै + यत्, ‘object of meditation’) + विवर्जित (कृदन्त; वि+√वृज्/वर्ज् (धातु) + क्त, ‘devoid of’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (ध्यातृ+ध्येय) इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व + विवर्जित (neuter nom/acc sg; adjective)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (indeclinable; negation)

• उपमेयम्: comparable (fit for comparison)
• उपमेयम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उपमेय (कृदन्त/तद्धित; √मा (धातु) + यत्, ‘comparable’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter nom/acc sg; adjective)

• अगाधम्: unfathomable
• अगाधम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ (निषेध) + गाध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter nom/acc sg; adjective)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (pronoun; nominative singular)

• स्वीकुरुष्व: accept (make it your own)
• स्वीकुरुष्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्वी (उपसर्ग/पूर्वपद) + √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; धातु √कृ (make/do) with उपपद ‘स्वी’ (accept)

• स्वतेजसा: by your own radiance/power
• स्वतेजसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + तेजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (neuter instrumental singular)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva instructs Pārvatī: a serene teaching scene where the deity-form is present yet the focus is on an inner crystal-like radiance symbolizing witness-consciousness; the background suggests a sacred landscape without specifying it.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara
• Sākṣin (Witness)
• Dhyātṛ-dhyeya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True realization culminates in nondual awareness where the Witness alone remains—beyond body, beyond dualities, and beyond the split of meditator and meditated.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it is an inner-realization teaching embedded in a māhātmya context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The instruction is contemplative: abide as the sākṣin and transcend the dyad of dhyātṛ and dhyeya; no external ritual is described.