Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मचर्यं तपः सारं ब्रह्मचर्यं महत्फलम् । क्रियासु सकलास्वेव ब्रह्मचर्यं विवर्द्धयेत्

Transliteration

brahmacaryaṃ tapaḥ sāraṃ brahmacaryaṃ mahatphalam | kriyāsu sakalāsveva brahmacaryaṃ vivarddhayet

Translation

Brahmacarya ist das eigentliche Wesen der Askese; brahmacarya bringt große Frucht. In allen religiösen Handlungen und Riten soll man brahmacarya mehren und bewahren.

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मचर्यम्: celibacy (brahmacarya)
• ब्रह्मचर्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मचर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Pradhana (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय/समानााधिकरण

• सारम्: essence
• सारम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (तपः इति)

• ब्रह्मचर्यम्: brahmacarya
• ब्रह्मचर्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मचर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• महत्फलम्: of great fruit, highly rewarding
• महत्फलम्: Pradhana (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महत् फलम्)

• क्रियासु: in actions/rites
• क्रियासु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रिया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• सकलासु: in all
• सकलासु: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सकला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (क्रियासु)

• एव: indeed, certainly
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• ब्रह्मचर्यम्: brahmacarya
• ब्रह्मचर्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मचर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• विवर्द्धयेत्: should increase, should cultivate
• विवर्द्धयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृध् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; वि-उपसर्ग

Speaker

Brahmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija (twice-born) implied in the surrounding passage

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vow-taker (vratī) with matted hair or neatly bound topknot, holding a kamaṇḍalu and kuśa grass, standing near a tīrtha-bank; behind, a small shrine and pilgrims performing restrained worship; the mood is calm and ascetic.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Continence is portrayed as the inner power-source of tapas and the multiplier of merit in all sacred actions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is specified in this verse; it teaches a universal vrata principle.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Maintain and intensify brahmacarya across all rites (kriyā), treating it as a standing discipline rather than a one-time act.