Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

तस्मान्निःसर शीघ्रं त्वं यद्येवमजितेन्द्रियः । तत्किमर्थं दुराचार तीर्थेष्वटसि बालिश

Transliteration

tasmānniḥsara śīghraṃ tvaṃ yadyevamajitendriyaḥ | tatkimarthaṃ durācāra tīrtheṣvaṭasi bāliśa

Translation

Sors donc au plus vite—si, vraiment, tes sens ne sont pas maîtrisés. Alors, ô homme de mauvaise conduite, insensé, pourquoi erres-tu parmi les tīrthas, les gués sacrés ?

Word by Word

• tasmāt: therefore/from that
• tasmāt: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tasmāt (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक: tad)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन (ablative singular: from that/therefore)

• niḥsara: go out/come out
• niḥsara: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nis-√sṛ (सृ) धातु
• Form: लोट्, परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन (imperative, 2nd sg)

• śīghram: quickly
• śīghram: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śīghra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb: quickly)

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीय-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, एकवचन (nominative singular)

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Condition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तवाचक-अव्यय (conditional particle: if)

• evam: thus
• evam: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: thus/in this way)

• ajita-indriyaḥ: one with uncontrolled senses
• ajita-indriyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ajita (प्रातिपदिक) + indriya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masc nominative singular); कर्मधारयः: ajitāni indriyāṇi yasya (one whose senses are unconquered)

• tat: then/that
• tat: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg; correlative)

• kim-artham: why/for what purpose
• kim-artham: Sambandha (Interrogative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रश्नवाचक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb: for what purpose/why); तत्पुरुष-समासः

• durācāra: O evil-doer
• durācāra: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dur-ācāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन (vocative singular); तत्पुरुषः: duṣṭa ācāraḥ yasya (evil-conducted)

• tīrtheṣu: in sacred places
• tīrtheṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन (neuter locative plural)

• aṭasi: you wander
• aṭasi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √aṭ (अट्) धातु
• Form: लट्, परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन (present indicative, 2nd sg)

• bāliśa: O fool
• bāliśa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāliśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन (vocative singular)

Speaker

Suhṛdaya (deduced from immediate surrounding dialogue context in Adhyāya 64)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stern ascetic orders an undisciplined pilgrim to exit the water immediately; onlookers show disapproval; the tīrtha remains luminous, emphasizing its inviolability.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage has meaning only when paired with self-restraint; uncontrolled senses make tīrtha-wandering hollow.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single site is named in this verse; it speaks generally about tīrthas and the ethics of visiting them.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed; the implied discipline is indriya-nigraha (sense-control) as the prerequisite for tīrtha merit.