Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

तव नामापि संकीर्त्य प्रयाति त्रिदिवालयम् । महादेव महादेव महादेवेति कीर्तनात्

Transliteration

tava nāmāpi saṃkīrtya prayāti tridivālayam | mahādeva mahādeva mahādeveti kīrtanāt

Translation

హే మహాదేవా! నీ నామాన్ని మాత్రమే సంకీర్తించినా మనుడు త్రిదివధామాన్ని చేరుతాడు. ‘మహాదేవ, మహాదేవ, మహాదేవ’ అని కీర్తించుటవలన।

Word by Word

• तव: of you/your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन (Singular), सर्वनाम (Pronoun)

• नाम: name
• नाम: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nominative/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (Particle), समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थ (also/even)

• संकीर्त्य: having chanted/uttered (in praise)
• संकीर्त्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial to main verb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + कीर्त् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal), ‘having praised/uttered’

• प्रयाति: goes/attains
• प्रयाति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• त्रिदिवालयम्: the abode of the three heavens; heaven
• त्रिदिवालयम्: Karma (Destination/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिदिव + आलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (Genitive determinative): त्रिदिवस्य आलयः, नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• महादेव: O Mahādeva
• महादेव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास: महा + देव, पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• महादेव: O Mahādeva
• महादेव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास: महा + देव, पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा, एकवचन

• महादेव: ‘Mahādeva’
• महादेव: Karma (Quoted utterance/object of ‘kīrtana’/उद्धृत-वाक्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास: महा + देव, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative) एकवचन; इति-पूर्वपदेन उद्धृत-शब्द (quoted form)

• इति: thus/‘…’
• इति: Sambandha (Quotative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-निपात (Quotative particle)

• कीर्तनात्: from/through the chanting
• कीर्तनात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कीर्तन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/अपादान), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Devāḥ (the gods)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee with folded hands repeats “Mahādeva” thrice; above, a luminous Śiva-form or liṅga radiates, and a celestial pathway opens toward svarga-like realms.

Characters & Entities

• Mahādeva (Śiva)
• Tridiva (heaven)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Nāma-kīrtana of Mahādeva is a direct, accessible path to spiritual upliftment and heavenly attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse glorifies the divine Name rather than a named geography; within tīrtha-māhātmya it supports the idea that pilgrimage is crowned by devotion.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kīrtana/japa of the Name ‘Mahādeva’ is explicitly presented as the efficacious practice.