Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 194

Devanagari script

वर्णाश्रमप्रतिष्ठा च यज्ञस्त्रेतासु चोच्यते । सदाशिवध्यानमयं त्यक्त्वा मोक्षमचेतनाः

Transliteration

varṇāśramapratiṣṭhā ca yajñastretāsu cocyate | sadāśivadhyānamayaṃ tyaktvā mokṣamacetanāḥ

Translation

وفي عصرِ تريتَا يُذكَرُ تثبيتُ نظامِ الفَرْنَةِ والآشرَمَةِ وإقامةُ اليَجْنَة؛ لكنهم إذ يتركونَ الاستغراقَ في تأمّلِ سَدَاشِيفا، يسعى غيرُ المميّزين إلى الموكشا بوسائلَ أخرى.

Word by Word

• वर्णाश्रमप्रतिष्ठा: the establishment of varṇa and āśrama
• वर्णाश्रमप्रतिष्ठा: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रतिष्ठा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: वर्णाश्रमयोः प्रतिष्ठा (establishment of varṇa and āśrama)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• यज्ञः: sacrifice
• यज्ञः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• त्रेतासु: in the Tretā (age)
• त्रेतासु: Adhikarana (Location/Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रेता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), बहुवचन (युग-नाम)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• उच्यते: is said/declared
• उच्यते: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; धातु: वच् (to say)

• सदाशिवध्यानमयम्: (that which is) full of meditation on Sadāśiva
• सदाशिवध्यानमयम्: Karma (Object of त्यक्त्वा)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सदा (अव्यय) + शिव (प्रातिपदिक) + ध्यान (प्रातिपदिक) + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: सदाशिवस्य ध्यानं मयम् (consisting of meditation on Sadāśiva)

• त्यक्त्वा: having abandoned
• त्यक्त्वा: Kriya-visheshaṇa (पूर्वकालिक क्रिया/Adverbial participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभावः; धातु: त्यज् (to abandon)

• मोक्षम्: liberation
• मोक्षम्: Karma (Object; with implied 'seek/attain')
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अचेतनाः: unaware/insentient
• अचेतनाः: Karta (Subject; implied 'they')
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-चेतन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; नञ्-तत्पुरुष (negated): चेतन-रहिताः

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A split tableau: on one side, orderly yajña with priests and fire; on the other, a yogin absorbed in Sadāśiva meditation, luminous and still; between them, figures seeking mokṣa yet looking outward, symbolizing ‘acetanāḥ’.

Characters & Entities

• Sadāśiva
• varṇāśrama
• yajña
• Tretā-yuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Outer order (varṇāśrama and yajña) belongs to its age, but the text elevates Sadāśiva-dhyāna as the inner essence that should not be neglected.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named; the glorification is theological—centered on Sadāśiva and yuga-dharma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Yajña is referenced as characteristic of Tretā-yuga, but no specific rite or procedure is detailed.