Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । अशक्तो नियमं कर्तुं सुकुमारो भवेत्तु यः । तेन तत्र प्रकर्तव्यं विख्यातं भीष्मपंचकम्

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | aśakto niyamaṃ kartuṃ sukumāro bhavettu yaḥ | tena tatra prakartavyaṃ vikhyātaṃ bhīṣmapaṃcakam

Translation

Sūta sprach: „Wer außerstande ist, die volle Disziplin zu erfüllen, oder zart an Leib ist, der soll dort das berühmte fünftägige Gelübde vollziehen, das Bhīṣma-pañcaka genannt wird.“

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta
• sūtaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (Nominative singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• aśaktaḥ: unable
• aśaktaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-śakta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (Nominative singular)

• niyamam: a rule/observance
• niyamam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niyama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (Accusative singular)

• kartum: to perform
• kartum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + tumun (कृदन्त)
• Form: तुमुनन्तम् (infinitive), कर्तुम् (to do)

• sukumāraḥ: delicate; tender
• sukumāraḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su-kumāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (Nominative singular)

• bhavet: should be
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• tu: but; indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अन्वय-निपातः (but/indeed)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (Nominative singular)

• tena: by that; therefore
• tena: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (Instrumental singular)

• tatra: there; in that case
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्ययम् (locative adverb)

• prakartavyam: should be performed
• prakartavyam: Kriya (Obligation predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-kṛ (धातु) + tavya (कृदन्त)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्तः (gerundive/obligatory), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (to be done)

• vikhyātam: well-known
• vikhyātam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-khyā (धातु) + ta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; भीष्मपंचकम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• bhīṣmapaṃcakam: the Bhīṣma-pañcaka (five-day observance)
• bhīṣmapaṃcakam: Karma (That to be done/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhīṣma-paṃcaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (Nom/Acc singular)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: assembled sages/pilgrims

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta, as narrator, formally announces the remedy: the renowned Bhīṣma-pañcaka, a five-day vow, to be performed there by the delicate-bodied or those unable to keep full rules.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Bhīṣma-pañcaka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is compassionate: when strict vows are difficult, a recognized shorter vrata may be adopted with sincerity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within Tīrtha-māhātmya context but does not name a specific tīrtha in this line; it frames practice “there” within the chapter’s sacred setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform the famed Bhīṣma-pañcaka—an alternative five-day observance for those unable to keep stricter niyamas.