Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

शौचं तुष्टिस्तपश्चैव जपो भक्तिर्गुरोस्तथा । एतेषामपि पंचानां पृथक्संशृणु लक्षणम्

Transliteration

śaucaṃ tuṣṭistapaścaiva japo bhaktirgurostathā | eteṣāmapi paṃcānāṃ pṛthaksaṃśṛṇu lakṣaṇam

Translation

Reinheit (śauca), Zufriedenheit (tuṣṭi), Askese (tapas), Japa (heiliges Wiederholen) und Hingabe an den Guru (bhakti) — dies sind die fünf Niyamas; höre nun ihre besonderen Kennzeichen, eines nach dem anderen.

Word by Word

• śaucam: purity
• śaucam: Karta/Item (उद्देश्य/पदार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śauca (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Nom./Acc. singular; ‘purity’

• tuṣṭiḥ: contentment
• tuṣṭiḥ: Karta/Item (उद्देश्य/पदार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tuṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — Nominative singular; ‘contentment’

• tapaḥ: austerity
• tapaḥ: Karta/Item (उद्देश्य/पदार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Nom./Acc. singular; ‘austerity’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (particle)

• japaḥ: mantra-recitation
• japaḥ: Karta/Item (उद्देश्य/पदार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: japa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — Nominative singular; ‘recitation’

• bhaktiḥ: devotion
• bhaktiḥ: Karta/Item (उद्देश्य/पदार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — Nominative singular; ‘devotion’

• guroḥ: of the teacher
• guroḥ: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन — Genitive singular; ‘of the guru’

• tathā: and likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार/समुच्चय-अव्यय (adverb/conj.: ‘thus/also’)

• eteṣām: of these
• eteṣām: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन — Genitive plural; ‘of these’

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-अव्यय (particle: ‘also/even’)

• paṃcānām: of the five
• paṃcānām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paṃcan (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन — Genitive plural; ‘of the five’ (numeral used adjectivally)

• pṛthak: separately
• pṛthak: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pṛthak (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) — ‘separately’

• saṃśṛṇu: listen
• saṃśṛṇu: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam+śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन — ‘listen carefully/hear fully’

• lakṣaṇam: the definition
• lakṣaṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lakṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन — Accusative singular; ‘characteristic/definition’

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Disciple/ṛṣi

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A five-petaled lotus labeled with the five niyamas; at the center a devotee seated with japa-mālā, a guru figure blessing, water pot and cleansing items nearby, and a small fire symbolizing tapas.

Characters & Entities

• Guru

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Inner progress rests on niyamas: purity, contentment, disciplined austerity, sacred repetition, and reverence for the guru.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; this is a general dharma-yoga teaching.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Japa is explicitly prescribed as a niyama, along with disciplined purity and devotional service to the guru.