Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

अनंतफलदः स स्यादित्युवाच पितामहः । तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन कश्चिद्बाह्यो विजानता

Transliteration

anaṃtaphaladaḥ sa syādityuvāca pitāmahaḥ | tasmātsarvaprayatnena kaścidbāhyo vijānatā

Translation

—wird zum Spender unendlicher Früchte, so sprach der Großvater (Brahmā). Darum soll der Weise mit allem Eifer eine äußere Disziplin auf sich nehmen, als sichtbare Observanz.

Word by Word

• अनन्तफलदः: giver of endless fruit
• अनन्तफलदः: Visheshana (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनन्त + फल + द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (अनन्तं फलं ददाति), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

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

• स्यात्: would be / becomes
• स्यात्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-निपात (quotative particle)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Said)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पितामहः: Pitāmaha (Brahmā)
• पितामहः: Karta (Speaker)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Sambandha (Inference marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात् इति अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः; अपादानार्थक (therefore/from that)

• सर्वप्रयत्नेन: with all effort
• सर्वप्रयत्नेन: Karana (Instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (सर्वः प्रयत्नः), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• कश्चित्: someone/any (one)
• कश्चित्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चित् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अनिश्चित-सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• बाह्यः: external/outward
• बाह्यः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बाह्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• विजानता: by one who knows/understands
• विजानता: Karana (Agent-instrumental)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-ज्ञा (धातु) + शतृ (प्रत्यय)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present participle) ‘विजानत्’; तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; पुंलिङ्ग; अर्थः—जानता (by one who knows)

Speaker

Sūta (reporting Brahmā’s statement)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇas (assembled sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta cites Brahmā (‘Pitāmaha’) declaring that any discipline during Viṣṇu’s sacred sleep yields endless fruit; the sages are stirred to adopt a visible vow.

Characters & Entities

• Pitāmaha (Brahmā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Seasonal restraint and visible discipline, undertaken knowingly, yields inexhaustible spiritual merit—validated by Brahmā’s authority.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya narrative chain within Nāgara Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Undertake some ‘external/visible’ niyama (bāhya observance) with full effort during the period under discussion (the Lord’s sacred sleep/Cāturmāsya).