Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

तपस्तेपुर्महापुण्ये नैमिषे मुक्तिदायिनि । एकदा ते महात्मानः समाजं चक्रुरुत्तमम्

Transliteration

tapastepurmahāpuṇye naimiṣe muktidāyini | ekadā te mahātmānaḥ samājaṃ cakruruttamam

Translation

Im höchst verdienstvollen Naimiṣa, dem Spender der Befreiung, übten sie Tapas, heilige Askese. Eines Tages hielten jene großen Seelen eine vortreffliche Versammlung ab.

Word by Word

• तपः: austerity/penance
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• तेपुः: performed
• तेपुः: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् लकार (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• महापुण्ये: in the very holy
• महापुण्ये: Adhikaraṇa (Location-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महापुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying naimiṣe)

• नैमिषे: at Naimiṣa (forest)
• नैमिषे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नैमिष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन (Locative singular)

• मुक्तिदायिनि: granting liberation
• मुक्तिदायिनि: Adhikaraṇa (Location-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + दायिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying naimiṣe)

• एकदा: once
• एकदा: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एकदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time: “once”)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; बहुवचन (Pronoun: “they”)

• महात्मानः: the great-souled (sages)
• महात्मानः: Karta (Subject-apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; बहुवचन

• समाजम्: an assembly/gathering
• समाजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समाज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• चक्रुः: made/held
• चक्रुः: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् लकार (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• उत्तमम्: excellent
• उत्तमम्: Karma (Object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying samājam)

Speaker

Narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Naimiṣa

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A wide forest panorama of Naimiṣa: ascetics performing tapas near fire-altars; then an ‘uttama samāja’ forms—sages seated in a formal circle, signaling the imminent start of Setu-māhātmya narration.

Characters & Entities

• Naimiṣāraṇya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places and holy company support austerity and inquiry leading toward liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Naimiṣāraṇya, praised as a highly meritorious, liberation-giving sacred region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) undertaken in a sacred place, and forming a dharmic assembly for discourse.