Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मज्ञानप्रयुक्तस्य संन्यस्तस्य विशेषतः । अग्निदानं न युक्तं स्यात्सर्वेषामपि योगिनाम्

Transliteration

brahmajñānaprayuktasya saṃnyastasya viśeṣataḥ | agnidānaṃ na yuktaṃ syātsarveṣāmapi yoginām

Translation

“Especially for one established in Brahman-knowledge, and for a renunciate, the offering to fire is not appropriate—indeed, for yogins as a class it is not considered fitting.”

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मज्ञानप्रयुक्तस्य: of one impelled by knowledge of Brahman
• ब्रह्मज्ञानप्रयुक्तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रयुक्त (कृदन्त, √युज् (धातु) + प्र)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; समासः—ब्रह्मज्ञान-प्रयुक्त (तत्पुरुषः), ‘ब्रह्मज्ञान’ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः) + ‘प्रयुक्त’ (कृदन्त-विशेषण)

• संन्यस्तस्य: of the renunciate / of one who has renounced
• संन्यस्तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संन्यस्त (कृदन्त, √अस्/√न्यस्?; प्रायः √अस्/√न्यस् with सं-न्यस्; past passive participle)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; कृदन्त-विशेषण (भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त)

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेषतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner/emphasis)

• अग्निदानम्: offering of fire / fire-gift
• अग्निदानम्: Karma/Predicate-noun (Object or subject-complement/कर्म वा विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा) वा द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः—अग्नि-दान (तत्पुरुषः)

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negative particle)

• युक्तम्: proper, fitting
• युक्तम्: Vidhēya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युक्त (कृदन्त, √युज् (धातु), भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicate adjective)

• स्यात्: would be / should be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (योगिनाम् इति विशेष्ये), षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम-विशेषण

• अपि: even, also
• अपि: Sambandha-bodhaka/Emphasis (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• योगिनाम्: of yogins
• योगिनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योगिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

Speaker

Ākāśavāṇī (celestial voice)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene renunciate-yogin seated in meditation near a pilgrimage riverbank; an unlit ritual fire-pit nearby symbolizes the transcendence of external rites; subtle aura of jñāna and restraint.

Characters & Entities

• Saṃnyāsin
• Yogin

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Inner realization (brahmajñāna) and renunciation can redefine social-ritual obligations, emphasizing liberation over external form.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha context frames the narrative, but this verse itself teaches a dharmic principle rather than naming a site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It states that agnidāna (cremation/consigning to fire) is not appropriate for a saṃnyāsin or yogin.