Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

अनुज्ञां मम देवेश देहि निष्क्रमणाय च । यथाऽहं पितृपो ब्रह्मन्भवान्याश्चापि लक्ष्यते

Transliteration

anujñāṃ mama deveśa dehi niṣkramaṇāya ca | yathā'haṃ pitṛpo brahmanbhavānyāścāpi lakṣyate

Translation

Grant me your permission, O Lord of the gods, to depart as well, so that I may be known as one who has repaid the debt to the ancestors, O Brahman, and so that Bhavānī too may acknowledge it.

Word by Word

• अनुज्ञाम्: permission
• अनुज्ञाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनुज्ञा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन, सर्वनाम

• देव-ईश: O lord of gods
• देव-ईश: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (देवानाम् ईशः)

• देहि: give
• देहि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• निष्क्रमणाय: for departure/going out
• निष्क्रमणाय: Sampradana (Recipient/Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निष्क्रमण (प्रातिपदिक; √क्रम् with नि: + निष्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• यथा: so that/as
• यथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; प्रकार/उपमानार्थक (as/so that)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन, सर्वनाम

• पितृपः: protector of the fathers (Pitṛs)
• पितृपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृप (प्रातिपदिक; ‘पितॄन् पाति’ इति)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ब्रह्मन्: O Brahman (sir)/O Brahmā
• ब्रह्मन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• भवान्याः: of Bhavānī (Pārvatī)
• भवान्याः: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवानी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; अप्यर्थे (also/even)

• लक्ष्यते: is seen/appears
• लक्ष्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, आत्मनेपदम्; कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (passive: ‘is seen/appears’)

Speaker

Devotee/narrative figure addressing Śiva (Deveśa)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Deveśa (addressed Lord) within the reported speech; also implicitly the earlier interlocutor hearing the account

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A supplicant addresses the Lord of gods, requesting permission to depart; behind or beside the Lord stands Bhavānī, indicating Śiva-Śakti completeness; ancestral symbols (piṇḍa, water libation) appear subtly to show pitṛ-ṛṇa repayment.

Characters & Entities

• Deveśa (Śiva)
• Bhavānī (Pārvatī)
• pitṛ (ancestors)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation is harmonized with dharma: one seeks divine sanction while honoring obligations to ancestors and the divine family (Śiva-Bhavānī).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha appears in this verse; it functions within the broader tīrthamāhātmya narrative flow.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed; the verse alludes to pitṛ-duty (pitṛ-ṛṇa), typically fulfilled through śrāddha/tarpaṇa in dharma texts.