Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

एतद्धि तपसो मूलं यदेतन्मनसस्त्यजेत् । त्यक्तेष्वेतेषु सर्वेषु पर ब्रह्ममयो भवेत्

Transliteration

etaddhi tapaso mūlaṃ yadetanmanasastyajet | tyakteṣveteṣu sarveṣu para brahmamayo bhavet

Translation

Dies ist wahrlich die Wurzel der Askese: diese Regungen des Geistes aufzugeben. Sind sie alle aufgegeben, wird man vom höchsten Brahman durchdrungen.

Word by Word

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• हि: indeed, for
• हि: Sambandha/Emphasis (सम्बन्ध/निश्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis/causal)

• तपसः: of austerity
• तपसः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• मूलम्: root, foundation
• मूलम्: Pradhana-predicative (Predicate noun/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular)

• मनसः: of the mind
• मनसः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• त्यजेत्: should abandon
• त्यजेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• त्यक्तेषु: when (they are) abandoned
• त्यक्तेषु: Adhikarana (Condition/location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP) ‘त्यक्त’; पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• एतेषु: in these
• एतेषु: Adhikarana (Reference/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• सर्वेषु: all
• सर्वेषु: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• परः: supreme
• परः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• ब्रह्ममयः: consisting of Brahman, filled with Brahman
• ब्रह्ममयः: Visheshya-predicative (Predicate adjective/विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्मन् + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• भवेत्: would become, should become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A seated sādhaka on a riverbank/ghāṭa; above his head, swirling thought-forms dissolve into clear light; the body remains still while a radiant Brahman-aura expands outward.

Characters & Entities

• Brahman

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True austerity culminates in mastery and renunciation of mental impulses, leading to Brahman-realization.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is a general dharma-teaching within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya context; no single tirtha-name appears in the verse itself.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No external rite is specified; the prescription is inner tapas—tyāga (abandoning) the mind’s distractions.