Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

ऋतुयानं गृहस्थस्य तप एव सदैव हि । चातुर्मास्ये हरिप्रीत्यै तन्निषेव्यं महत्तपः

Transliteration

ṛtuyānaṃ gṛhasthasya tapa eva sadaiva hi | cāturmāsye hariprītyai tanniṣevyaṃ mahattapaḥ

Translation

Das den Jahreszeiten entsprechende Verhalten eines Hausvaters ist stets Tapas. Es während Cāturmāsya zur Freude Haris zu üben, wird als große Askese verkündet.

Word by Word

• ṛtuyānam: seasonal observance/going by seasons
• ṛtuyānam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛtu + yāna (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (ऋतूनां यानम्) (nom/acc singular)

• gṛhasthasya: of a householder
• gṛhasthasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛhastha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी एकवचनम् (genitive singular)

• tapaḥ: austerity
• tapaḥ: Pradhana-predicative (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम् (nominative singular)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्ययम् (particle)

• sadaiva: always
• sadaiva: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā + eva (अव्यय-द्वय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्ययम् + अवधारणार्थक-अव्ययम् (always indeed)

• hi: for/indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/हेतुवाचक-अव्ययम् (particle)

• cāturmāsye: in Cāturmāsya
• cāturmāsye: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cāturmāsya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे सप्तमी एकवचनम् (locative singular)

• hariprītyai: for Hari’s pleasure
• hariprītyai: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari + prīti (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे चतुर्थी एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (हरेः प्रीतिः) (dative singular: purpose)

• tat: that (observance)
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम् (accusative singular)

• niṣevyam: to be practiced/observed
• niṣevyam: Pradhana-predicative (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ni-√sev (धातु) + यत्/अनीय (कृदन्त)
• Form: अनीय/यत्-प्रत्ययान्तं भाव्यर्थकं; नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम् (gerundive: ‘to be practiced/served’)

• mahattapaḥ: (is) great austerity
• mahattapaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahat + tapas (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम् (nominative singular)

Speaker

Brahmā

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A disciplined householder at dawn in monsoon season, performing simple worship and restrained conduct, offering the fruits to Hari during Cāturmāsya.

Characters & Entities

• Gṛhastha
• Hari (Viṣṇu)
• Cāturmāsya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right living in harmony with dharma and season becomes true austerity when oriented toward divine pleasure.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

The verse emphasizes the time-sacrament (Cāturmāsya) rather than naming a particular tīrtha; it belongs to the Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s tīrtha-māhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observe season-appropriate household disciplines (ṛtucaryā) and dedicate them to Hari during Cāturmāsya.