Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

विभेदमतयो नष्टाः श्रुतिस्मृत्यर्थबाधकाः । पाखंडिनो हैतुकाश्च सर्वे विस्मयमागमन्

Transliteration

vibhedamatayo naṣṭāḥ śrutismṛtyarthabādhakāḥ | pākhaṃḍino haitukāśca sarve vismayamāgaman

Translation

أولئك الذين تعلّقت عقولهم بالفرقة—فحجبوا معنى الشروتي (Śruti) والسمريتي (Smṛti)—ومعهم أهل البدع والجدليون الذين لا يملكون إلا الخصام، جميعهم وقعوا في الدهشة إذ انهارت دعاواهم.

Word by Word

• विभेदमतयः: minds/opinions of division
• विभेदमतयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विभेद (प्रातिपदिक) + मति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कर्ता (Feminine, Nominative plural; subject)

• नष्टाः: destroyed, vanished
• नष्टाः: Pradhana-predicative (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नश् (धातु) → नष्ट (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त; विधेय-विशेषण (Masculine nominative plural; past passive participle used predicatively)

• श्रुति: revelation (Veda)
• श्रुति: Compound member
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रुति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; समासपूर्वपद (Feminine; prior member of compound)

• स्मृति: tradition (Smṛti)
• स्मृति: Compound member
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्मृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; समासपूर्वपद (Feminine; compound member)

• अर्थ: meaning
• अर्थ: Compound member
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; समासपूर्वपद (Masculine; compound member)

• बाधकाः: obstructing, contradicting
• बाधकाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बाधक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative plural; adjective)

• श्रुतिस्मृत्यर्थबाधकाः: those who contradict the meaning of Śruti and Smṛti
• श्रुतिस्मृत्यर्थबाधकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रुति (प्रातिपदिक) + स्मृति (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + बाधक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (those who obstruct the meaning of śruti & smṛti)

• पाखण्डिनः: heretics, hypocrites
• पाखण्डिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाखण्डिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कर्ता (Masculine, Nominative plural; subject)

• हैतुकाः: logicians, reasoners
• हैतुकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हैतुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कर्ता (Masculine, Nominative plural; subject)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (indeclinable conjunction)

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative plural; adjective)

• विस्मयम्: astonishment
• विस्मयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विस्मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म (Masculine, Accusative singular; object)

• आगमन्: came, reached
• आगमन्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (भूतकाल), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; आ-उपसर्ग (Imperfect/past, 3rd pl, active; with prefix ā-)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual narration within the chapter; speaker not explicit in the snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: As Harihara stands revealed, divisive polemicists—heretics and disputants—are struck silent in astonishment; their argumentative posture collapses before the living synthesis of the divine.

Characters & Entities

• Śruti
• Smṛti
• Pākhaṇḍins
• Haitukas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma rests on right understanding of Śruti–Smṛti; divisive polemics and hollow disputation collapse before true revelation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it supports the mahātmya by emphasizing correct dharmic vision.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.