Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 162

Devanagari script

निर्ममत्वं तपश्चात्र सन्तोषः सप्तमो ह्रदः । भगवद्गुणविज्ञानाद्भक्तिः स्यात्प्रथमा नदी

Transliteration

nirmamatvaṃ tapaścātra santoṣaḥ saptamo hradaḥ | bhagavadguṇavijñānādbhaktiḥ syātprathamā nadī

Translation

Hier sind Nicht‑Besitzergreifen und Askese (tapas) gegenwärtig; Zufriedenheit ist der siebte See. Aus dem Erkennen der Eigenschaften des Herrn entsteht Bhakti — dies ist der erste Fluss.

Word by Word

• nirmamatvam: non-possessiveness
• nirmamatvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nir-mamatva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; भाववाचक-तद्धितान्त (त्व)

• tapaḥ: austerity
• tapaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (adverb of place)

• santoṣaḥ: contentment
• santoṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: santoṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• saptamaḥ: seventh
• saptamaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saptama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषण (ordinal)

• hradaḥ: lake
• hradaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hrada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• bhagavad-guṇa-vijñānāt: from the knowledge of the Lord’s qualities
• bhagavad-guṇa-vijñānāt: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक) + guṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + vijñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठीसम्बन्धः: ‘भगवतः गुणानां विज्ञानम्’); नपुंसकलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; अपादानार्थे

• bhaktiḥ: devotion
• bhaktiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• syāt: may be / should be
• syāt: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• prathamā: first
• prathamā: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prathama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषण (ordinal)

• nadī: river
• nadī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nadī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Santoṣa-hrada and Bhakti-nadī (inner tīrtha)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A clear lake labeled ‘Santoṣa’ reflects the sky; two ascetics practice tapas on its bank; from the lake springs a bright river labeled ‘Bhakti’ flowing toward a distant liṅga/Īśvara shrine, with scriptural syllables shimmering on the water.

Characters & Entities

• Bhagavān

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion is born from insight into the Lord’s qualities, and it is sustained by austerity, non-possessiveness, and contentment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vidyāvana, where lakes and rivers are presented as symbols of inner virtues and devotional flow.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) and cultivation of santoṣa (contentment) are prescribed as core disciplines supporting bhakti.