Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

आद्या तु मम या मूर्तिः सा कैलासं समाश्रिता । संतिष्ठति सदैवात्र कैलासे पर्वतोत्तमे

Transliteration

ādyā tu mama yā mūrtiḥ sā kailāsaṃ samāśritā | saṃtiṣṭhati sadaivātra kailāse parvatottame

Translation

എന്റെ ആദ്യമൂർത്തി കൈലാസത്തെ ആശ്രയിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു; പർവതോത്തമമായ കൈലാസത്തിൽ അത് സദാ സ്ഥിരമായി നിലകൊള്ളുന്നു.

Word by Word

• आद्याः: the first
• आद्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (मूर्ति:)

• तु: indeed / but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• या: which
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम

• मूर्तिः: form
• मूर्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूर्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सा: that
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; संकेतक-सर्वनाम (correlative)

• कैलासम्: Kailāsa
• कैलासम्: Karma (Goal/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कैलास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• समाश्रिता: having resorted to / abiding in
• समाश्रिता: Kriya (State/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + श्रि (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्तरि (active sense: ‘having resorted to’)

• संतिष्ठति: stands / remains
• संतिष्ठति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सदा: always
• सदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Place/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय

• कैलासे: on/in Kailāsa
• कैलासे: Adhikarana (Place/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कैलास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• पर्वतोत्तमे: on the best of mountains
• पर्वतोत्तमे: Adhikarana (Place/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्वत-उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक; पर्वत + उत्तम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेष्य-विशेषणभावः (कैलासे)

Speaker

Śrī Bhagavān (Rudra/Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kailāsa

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvijas/brāhmaṇas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Lord identifies His first manifestation as abiding on Kailāsa, the supreme mountain—evoking a snow-clad peak, celestial attendants, and a sense of primordial stability.

Characters & Entities

• Kailāsa
• Śiva (implied as speaker)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s presence spans both cosmic abode (Kailāsa) and local kṣetras, connecting universal and regional sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kailāsa is explicitly praised as the foremost mountain and seat of a primary manifestation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it identifies a principal locus of the deity’s manifestation.