Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

देवतानां मुखं तद्धि कीर्त्यते याज्ञिकैः सदा । एवं योगी सदाऽभ्यासाज्जायते मोक्षभाजनम्

Transliteration

devatānāṃ mukhaṃ taddhi kīrtyate yājñikaiḥ sadā | evaṃ yogī sadā'bhyāsājjāyate mokṣabhājanam

Translation

Dies wird von den Vollziehern des Yajña stets „der Mund der Götter“ genannt. So wird der Yogi durch beständige Übung zu einem würdigen Gefäß für die Befreiung.

Word by Word

• देवतानाम्: of the deities
• देवतानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन (Feminine, Genitive plural)

• मुखम्: mouth; face
• मुखम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter Nom./Acc. singular)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Pronoun, Neuter Nom./Acc. singular)

• हि: indeed; for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle: emphatic/causal 'indeed/for')

• कीर्त्यते: is proclaimed; is called
• कीर्त्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kīrt (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive), आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Present passive, 3rd person singular)

• याज्ञिकैः: by ritualists; sacrificers
• याज्ञिकैः: Kartr (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yājñika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन (Masculine, Instrumental plural)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb: 'always')

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारसूचक (adverb: 'thus/in this way')

• योगी: the yogi
• योगी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yogin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative singular)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb: 'always')

• अभ्यासात्: from practice; due to practice
• अभ्यासात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source/हेतु-अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abhyāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (अपादान/हेतु), एकवचन (Masculine, Ablative singular)

• जायते: is born; arises; becomes
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jan (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Present, Atmanepada, 3rd person singular)

• मोक्ष-भाजनम्: a recipient of liberation
• मोक्ष-भाजनम्: Karma/Phala (Result/कर्म-फल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mokṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + bhājana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter Nom./Acc. singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ('of liberation' + 'receptacle/recipient')

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī/Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A yajñika altar at a tīrtha with rising oblations and Vedic reciters; beside it a yogin seated in padmāsana, eyes half-closed, suggesting the ‘mouth of the gods’ as both ritual fire and inner channel to liberation.

Characters & Entities

• Devatā
• Yājñika
• Yogī
• Mokṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady practice (abhyāsa) matures a seeker into a worthy recipient of mokṣa, aligning inner yoga with the sanctity praised in yajña traditions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular site is named; the verse emphasizes ritual theology and yogic maturation within the Māhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The prescription is sustained abhyāsa (regular practice); yajñika language is used to frame its sacred efficacy.