Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

ध्यानेन परमं ब्रह्म मूर्त्तौ योगस्तु ध्यानजः । सावलम्बो ध्यानयोगो यन्नारायणदर्शनम्

Transliteration

dhyānena paramaṃ brahma mūrttau yogastu dhyānajaḥ | sāvalambo dhyānayogo yannārāyaṇadarśanam

Translation

ध्यानेन परमं ब्रह्म साक्षात्कर्तुं प्रजायते । मूर्तौ तु ध्यानजः प्रोक्तो योगो भक्त्यनुगः सदा ॥ सावलम्बो ध्यानयोगो यन्नारायणदर्शनम् ॥

Word by Word

• ध्यानेन: by meditation
• ध्यानेन: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhyāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• परमम्: supreme
• परमम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• ब्रह्म: Brahman, the Absolute
• ब्रह्म: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• मूर्त्तौ: in a form (iconic form)
• मूर्त्तौ: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• योगः: yoga
• योगः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तु: but, indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Contrast/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (contrastive particle)

• ध्यानजः: born of meditation
• ध्यानजः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ध्यान (प्रातिपदिक) + ज (प्रातिपदिक; from √जन् (धातु) ‘to be born’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• सावलम्बः: with support (having an object/support)
• सावलम्बः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + आलम्ब (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• ध्यानयोगः: meditation-yoga
• ध्यानयोगः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ध्यान (प्रातिपदिक) + योग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• नारायणदर्शनम्: the vision of Nārāyaṇa
• नारायणदर्शनम्: Pratijna (Predicate nominative/प्रत्यय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारायण (प्रातिपदिक) + दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A temple sanctum with Nārāyaṇa mūrti; a devotee sits in meditation facing the deity. The external darśana transitions into an inner vision—Nārāyaṇa appearing in the heart-lotus.

Characters & Entities

• Brahman
• Nārāyaṇa
• Yoga
• Dhyāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Meditation is the means to realize Brahman, and meditation upon a sacred form (sālambana-dhyāna) ripens into direct divine vision (darśana) of Nārāyaṇa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse functions as philosophical instruction within the Tīrthamāhātmya setting; the snippet itself does not name a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No external rite (snāna/dāna) is specified here; the prescription is inner practice—dhyāna (meditation), particularly sālambana meditation on a divine form.