Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 65

Devanagari script

यत्त्वं शंससि चाऽस्माकं खेचरत्वं महीपते । व्यर्थं तदपि न श्रेयः शृणु तत्रापि कारणम्

Transliteration

yattvaṃ śaṃsasi cā'smākaṃ khecaratvaṃ mahīpate | vyarthaṃ tadapi na śreyaḥ śṛṇu tatrāpi kāraṇam

Translation

وأما ما تمدحُه فينا—وهو طبيعةُ «السير في السماء»، يا سيّدَ الأرض—فحتى ذلك باطلٌ لا نفعَ فيه، وليس خيرًا حقًّا. فاسمع سببَه أيضًا.

Word by Word

• yat: that which
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: yat (यद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana; sambandha-prayoga (correlative)

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: tvam (युष्मद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumān (usage), Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana

• śaṃsasi: you praise/declare
• śaṃsasi: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śaṃs (शंस्-धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present), Madhyama-puruṣa (2nd person), Ekavacana, Parasmaipada

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (च-अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-nipāta (conjunction)

• asmākam: of us
• asmākam: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ṣaṣṭhī (6th), Bahuvacana (genitive plural)

• khecaratvam: the state of being a sky-goer
• khecaratvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: khecara + -tva (खेचर-प्रातिपदिक + त्व-प्रत्यय)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana

• mahīpate: O king (lord of the earth)
• mahīpate: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahīpati (महीपति-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga, Sambodhana (Vocative), Ekavacana; samāsa: mahī + pati (ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa)

• vyartham: in vain, uselessly
• vyartham: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vyartha (व्यर्थ-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā/Dvitīyā (1st/2nd), Ekavacana; kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (adverbial use)

• tat: that
• tat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: tad (तद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana

• api: also/even
• api: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अपि-अव्यय)
• Form: Avadhāraṇa/samuccaya-nipāta (particle: also/even)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (न-अव्यय)
• Form: Niṣedha-nipāta (negation particle)

• śreyaḥ: a good/benefit
• śreyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śreyas (श्रेयस्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana

• śṛṇu: hear
• śṛṇu: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (श्रु-धातु)
• Form: Loṭ-lakāra (Imperative), Madhyama-puruṣa (2nd), Ekavacana, Parasmaipada

• tatra: there/in that regard
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (तत्र-अव्यय)
• Form: Deśa-avyaya (locative adverb: there/in that matter)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अपि-अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-nipāta (particle: also)

• kāraṇam: the reason
• kāraṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāraṇa (कारण-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana

Speaker

Preta(s) (departed spirits) addressing the king

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: mohīpati / king

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In a forest setting, subtle, sorrow-tinged beings (preta-like) address a king, rejecting his praise of their sky-going ability and asking him to hear the deeper reason.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Extraordinary abilities or states (like ‘moving in the sky’) are not inherently auspicious; true good lies in dharma that leads to peace and liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it is part of the larger Nāgarakhaṇḍa tīrtha discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse shifts the discussion toward causes and remedies rather than prescribing a specific act.