Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

सर्वत्र समदृष्टीनां गेहे मुक्तिर्हि शाश्वती । ज्ञानमेव महेशान मनुष्याणां सुदुर्लभम्

Transliteration

sarvatra samadṛṣṭīnāṃ gehe muktirhi śāśvatī | jñānameva maheśāna manuṣyāṇāṃ sudurlabham

Translation

أمّا الذين ينظرون بعينٍ واحدةٍ في كلّ موضع، فلهم التحرّرُ حقًّا أبديٌّ ولو كانوا في البيت. يا مهيشانا، إنّ المعرفةَ وحدها هي النادرةُ غايةَ الندرةِ بين البشر.

Word by Word

• सर्वत्र: everywhere
• सर्वत्र: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarvatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of place: 'everywhere')

• समदृष्टीनाम्: of the even-sighted (equanimous)
• समदृष्टीनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक) + dṛṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कर्मधारयभावः: 'समा दृष्टिः येषाम्'); पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी, बहुवचन (Genitive plural)

• गेहे: in the house
• गेहे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: geha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन (Locative singular)

• मुक्तिः: liberation
• मुक्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Nipāta (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic/causal particle: 'indeed/for')

• शाश्वती: eternal
• शाश्वती: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śāśvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन (agreeing with मुक्तिः)

• ज्ञानम्: knowledge
• ज्ञानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• एव: alone, indeed
• एव: Nipāta (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण-निपात (restrictive particle: 'only/indeed')

• महेशान: O Mahēśāna (Great Lord)
• महेशान: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + īśāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन, एकवचन (Vocative singular)

• मनुष्याणाम्: of humans
• मनुष्याणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manuṣya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन (Genitive plural)

• सुदुर्लभम्: very hard to obtain
• सुदुर्लभम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (अव्यय-उपसर्ग) + durlabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (predicate adjective agreeing with ज्ञानम्)

Speaker

A devotee/teacher addressing Maheśāna (Śiva) within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya (exact named speaker not explicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene ascetic-teacher addressing Mahēśāna; behind, a householder’s courtyard subtly shown as a place of liberation—equal gaze toward all beings.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mokṣa depends on equal vision and knowledge, not on external renunciation; even a householder can be eternally free.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha-māhātmya setting frames the teaching, but this verse itself does not identify a particular pilgrimage site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is mentioned; the verse highlights jñāna and sama-darśana as the decisive factors.