Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

नादरूपेण शिरसि तिष्ठंतं सर्वदेहिनाम् । स एव जीवशिरसि वर्त्तते सूर्यबिंबवत्

Transliteration

nādarūpeṇa śirasi tiṣṭhaṃtaṃ sarvadehinām | sa eva jīvaśirasi varttate sūryabiṃbavat

Translation

നാദരൂപത്തിൽ സർവ ദേഹികളുടെയും ശിരസ്സിൽ നിലകൊള്ളുന്ന ആ തത്ത്വം തന്നെയാണ്, ഓരോ ജീവന്റെയും ശിരസ്സിൽ സൂര്യബിംബംപോലെ വിരാജിക്കുന്നത്.

Word by Word

• नादरूपेण: in the form of sound
• नादरूपेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाद-रूप (प्रातिपदिक; नाद + रूप)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; साधन/प्रकारवाचक—“नादरूपेण” = in the form of sound

• शिरसि: in the head
• शिरसि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• तिष्ठन्तम्: abiding (as)
• तिष्ठन्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ/शानच्), परस्मैपदी; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन, नपुंसकलिङ्ग—“standing/abiding”

• सर्वदेहिनाम्: of all embodied beings
• सर्वदेहिनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व-देहिन् (प्रातिपदिक; सर्व + देहिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन—“of all embodied beings”

• सः: he/that (same)
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय; अवधान/निश्चयार्थक

• जीवशिरसि: in the jīva’s head
• जीवशिरसि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जीव-शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक; जीव + शिरस्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन—“in the head of the jīva”

• वर्तते: exists/abides
• वर्तते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदी

• सूर्यबिंबवत्: like the sun’s orb
• सूर्यबिंबवत्: Upamana (Simile/उपमान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सूर्य-बिम्ब + वत् (प्रातिपदिक; सूर्य + बिम्ब; वत्=सदृशार्थक)
• Form: अव्ययवत्-प्रयोग (वत्-प्रत्ययान्त), उपमानवाचक; क्रियाविशेषणवत्—“like the sun’s disc”

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāda (inner tīrtha)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A yogin seated in meditation with attention at the head/crown; concentric sound-waves (nāda) depicted as subtle rings; multiple small water bowls reflecting a single sun to illustrate the analogy.

Characters & Entities

• Nāda
• Sūrya (as simile)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The divine is immanent in all beings as subtle inner sound (nāda), accessible through inward attention.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘tīrtha’ is internalized: the head/crown region as an inner sacred locus where nāda is experienced.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implied meditative discipline: contemplation of nāda (inner sound) in the head.