Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

स मिष्टान्नमवाप्नोति यदि कामयते द्विजाः । निष्कामो वा समभ्येति स्थानं देवस्य शूलिनः

Transliteration

sa miṣṭānnamavāpnoti yadi kāmayate dvijāḥ | niṣkāmo vā samabhyeti sthānaṃ devasya śūlinaḥ

Translation

Er erlangt süße Speise, wenn er sie begehrt, o Zweimalgeborene. Oder, ist er wunschfrei, so erreicht er die Wohnstatt des Herrn Śūlin — Śiva, des Dreizackträgers.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• मिष्टान्नम्: sweet food
• मिष्टान्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मिष्ट + अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• अवाप्नोति: obtains
• अवाप्नोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• यदि: if
• यदि: Connector (Condition)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (conditional particle)

• कामयते: desires
• कामयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कम्/काम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• द्विजाः: O twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे/श्रोत्रृ-सम्बोधन (contextually ‘O twice-born’)

• निष्कामः: desireless
• निष्कामः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निः + काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषण (सः)

• वा: or
• वा: Connector (Disjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle)

• समभ्येति: attains, reaches
• समभ्येति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + अभि + इ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• स्थानम्: abode
• स्थानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• देवस्य: of the god
• देवस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• शूलिनः: of Śūlin (the trident-bearer, Śiva)
• शूलिनः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूलिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; देवस्य विशेषण-रूपेण (epithet)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Miṣṭānnada/Miṣṭānnadeśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvāija-s/ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two devotees contrasted: one seeks sweet-food boon; another, desireless, seeks Śiva’s abode; the deity as Śūlin presides, trident emblem prominent.

Characters & Entities

• dvija
• Śūlin (Śiva)
• sthāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The same sacred act can grant worldly benefit to the desirous and liberation to the desireless—intention shapes the fruit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Miṣṭānnadeśvara (Miṣṭānnada liṅga) within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya of Nāgarakhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Devotional darśana is implied; the verse distinguishes outcomes for kāmya (desire-based) and niṣkāma (desireless) worship.