Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

कैलासशिखराकारं भास्करार्थे महामुनिः । जटामध्यगतं दृष्ट्वा वटस्य च महेश्वरम्

Transliteration

kailāsaśikharākāraṃ bhāskarārthe mahāmuniḥ | jaṭāmadhyagataṃ dṛṣṭvā vaṭasya ca maheśvaram

Translation

भास्कराराधनार्थाय महामुनिः समाहितः । जटामध्यगतं दृष्ट्वा वटस्थं महेश्वरम् ॥ कैलासशिखराकारं तं भावेन न्यकल्पयत् ॥

Word by Word

• kailāsaśikharākāram: having the form of Kailāsa’s peak
• kailāsaśikharākāram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kailāsa + śikhara + ākāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः—कैलासस्य शिखरस्य आकारः (like the peak-form of Kailāsa); विशेषणम् (कस्यचित्)

• bhāskaraarthe: for Bhāskara (the Sun), for the purpose of the Sun
• bhāskaraarthe: Sampradana/Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāskara + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—भास्करस्य अर्थे (for the Sun’s purpose/for Bhāskara)

• mahāmuniḥ: the great sage
• mahāmuniḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—महान् मुनिः

• jaṭāmadhyagatam: gone/placed in the middle of the matted hair
• jaṭāmadhyagatam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jaṭā + madhya + gata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; क्त (PPP) ‘gata’ from √gam; समासः—जटायाः मध्ये गतम्; विशेषणम् (महेश्वरम्/लिङ्गम् इत्यर्थे)

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (दृश् धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive); अर्थः—दृष्ट्वा (having seen)

• vaṭasya: of the banyan tree
• vaṭasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• maheśvaram: Maheśvara (Śiva)
• maheśvaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maheśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa, by Mahātmya narrative convention)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A great sage stands before a massive banyan; within its aerial roots a luminous Maheśvara is perceived, crowned by matted locks; behind him rises an imagined Kailāsa-like peak silhouette, while a solar aura suggests Sūrya’s purpose.

Characters & Entities

• Kailāsa
• Bhāskara (Sūrya)
• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Vaṭa (banyan tree)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divinity is encountered in sacred landscapes—trees, peaks, and tīrthas—where darśana of Śiva sanctifies worship and deepens devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A local tīrtha setting featuring a sacred banyan (vaṭa) and a manifestation of Maheśvara; the exact place-name is not explicitly given in this single verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse gestures to bhāskara-artha (Sun-related worship context), but gives no explicit ritual steps; it emphasizes darśana of Śiva at the sacred vaṭa.