Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

महेश्वरो वा मधुकैटभारिर्हृद्याश्रितो ध्यानमयोऽद्वितीयः । अभेदबुद्ध्या परमार्तिहंता रिपुः स एवातिप्रियो भवेत्ततः

Transliteration

maheśvaro vā madhukaiṭabhārirhṛdyāśrito dhyānamayo'dvitīyaḥ | abhedabuddhyā paramārtihaṃtā ripuḥ sa evātipriyo bhavettataḥ

Translation

மகேஸ்வரனாக இருந்தாலும், மதுகைடபரை வதைத்தவனாக இருந்தாலும்—இதயத்தில் உறையும், தியானமயமான, இரண்டற்ற ஒருவனை—அபேத புத்தியால் தரிசித்தால் அவன் உச்ச துயரை அழிப்பவன் ஆகிறான்; ஆகவே பகைவனும் மிகப் பிரியனாகிறான்।

Word by Word

• महेश्वरः: Mahēśvara
• महेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — 'Mahēśvara'

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (disjunctive particle: 'or')

• मधुकैटभारिः: slayer/enemy of Madhu and Kaiṭabha
• मधुकैटभारिः: Karta (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधु (प्रातिपदिक) + कैटभ (प्रातिपदिक) + अरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — 'enemy of Madhu and Kaiṭabha' (मधुकैटभयोः अरिः)

• हृदि: in the heart
• हृदि: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन — 'in the heart'

• आश्रितः: dwelling, resorting
• आश्रितः: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √श्रि (धातु) उपसर्ग: आ + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — 'resorted to/dwelling'

• ध्यानमयः: made of meditation
• ध्यानमयः: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ध्यान (प्रातिपदिक) + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — 'consisting of meditation' (ध्यानमय)

• अद्वितीयः: without a second
• अद्वितीयः: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अद्वितीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — 'without a second, unrivalled'

• अभेदबुद्ध्या: by non-dual understanding
• अभेदबुद्ध्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अभेद (प्रातिपदिक) + बुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — 'by the notion of non-difference' (अभेदस्य बुद्धिः)

• परमार्तिहंता: destroyer of great suffering
• परमार्तिहंता: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक) + आर्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + हन्तृ (प्रातिपदिक; √हन् + तृच्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — 'destroyer of supreme distress' (परमा आर्तिः; तस्य हन्ता)

• रिपुः: an enemy
• रिपुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रिपु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — 'enemy'

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Correlative/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — 'he/that'

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle: 'indeed/only')

• अतिप्रियः: very dear
• अतिप्रियः: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति (अव्यय/उपसर्गवत्) + प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — 'very dear'

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — 'would become/should be'

• ततः: therefore
• ततः: Hetu/Anantarya (Result/sequence)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: तस्मात्-अर्थे अव्यय (consequential adverb: 'therefore/then')

Speaker

Narrative voice / doctrinal verse (speaker not explicit)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas (outer); Umā/participants in the inner narrative

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contemplative tableau: Śiva and Viṣṇu appear as two iconographic forms dissolving into a single luminous presence seated in the heart-lotus; an erstwhile enemy bows, transformed by non-dual insight.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Madhukaiṭabhāri (Viṣṇu)
• Abheda-buddhi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Seeing the Divine with abheda-buddhi (non-dual understanding) dissolves hostility and suffering; the One in the heart is beyond sectarian division.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tirtha is named in this verse; it serves as a doctrinal centerpiece within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya / Cāturmāsya teaching frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Meditative worship (dhyāna) on the indwelling advitīya reality is implied, rather than an external rite.