Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 96

Devanagari script

ऊर्मयः सागरे नित्यं सलिले बुद्बुदा यथा । अहं कदा चित्ते नेत्रात्कदाचित्तव भालतः

Transliteration

ūrmayaḥ sāgare nityaṃ salile budbudā yathā | ahaṃ kadā citte netrātkadācittava bhālataḥ

Translation

సముద్రంలో నిత్యం అలలు ఎగసినట్లు, నీటిపై బుడగలు పుట్టినట్లు, అలాగే నేను—కొన్నిసార్లు నీ కన్ను నుండి, కొన్నిసార్లు నీ నుదుటి నుండి—ప్రకటిస్తాను.

Word by Word

• ऊर्मयः: waves
• ऊर्मयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऊर्मि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (feminine, nominative, plural)

• सागरे: in the ocean
• सागरे: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (masculine, locative, singular)

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावे नपुंसक-एकवचनरूपेण क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverbial accusative: ‘always’)

• सलिले: in water
• सलिले: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सलिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (neuter, locative, singular)

• बुद्बुदाः: bubbles
• बुद्बुदाः: Karta (Subject in simile/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुद्बुद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (masculine, nominative, plural)

• यथा: as, like
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, उपमानवाचक/समुच्चयार्थ (indeclinable: ‘as, like’)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, एकवचन (pronoun, nominative, singular)

• कदा: when?
• कदा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Time adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रश्नार्थक कालवाचक (indeclinable interrogative adverb: ‘when?’)

• चित्ते: in the mind
• चित्ते: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (neuter, locative, singular)

• नेत्रात्: from the eye
• नेत्रात्: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन (neuter, ablative, singular)

• कदाचित्: at some time
• कदाचित्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Time adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अनिश्चितकालवाचक (indeclinable: ‘at some time, ever’)

• तव: of you, your
• तव: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी, एकवचन (pronoun, genitive, singular)

• भालतः: from the forehead
• भालतः: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन (neuter, ablative, singular)

Speaker

Nārada (contextual attribution within Brahma–Nārada-saṃvāda)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A shoreline or riverbank near a shrine: waves and bubbles rendered prominently; above, the deity’s eye and brow radiate subtle streams of light from which a divine figure/energy emerges, suggesting periodic manifestation.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

All beings and powers emerge from the Divine repeatedly and effortlessly, like natural motions of water.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya in the Nāgara Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse functions as devotional contemplation (dhyāna) through imagery.