Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 76

Devanagari script

निष्फलोऽयं निराभासो निःसारो धूमडंबरः । तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन आत्मानं स्मर वै यम

Transliteration

niṣphalo'yaṃ nirābhāso niḥsāro dhūmaḍaṃbaraḥ | tasmātsarvaprayatnena ātmānaṃ smara vai yama

Translation

Ceci est sans fruit, sans éclat véritable, creux—simple parade de fumée. Aussi, de tout ton effort, ô Yama, souviens-toi du Soi, de l’Ātman.

Word by Word

• निष्फलः: fruitless
• निष्फलः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निः (उपसर्ग) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• निराभासः: without real appearance/illusory
• निराभासः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर् (उपसर्ग) + आभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• निःसारः: essenceless
• निःसारः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निः (उपसर्ग) + सार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• धूमडम्बरः: a smoky show (empty pomp)
• धूमडम्बरः: Apposition/Predicate noun (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धूम (प्रातिपदिक) + डम्बर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (धूमवत् डम्बरः/धूमः एव डम्बरः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu/Reason (हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोगः (therefore)

• सर्वप्रयत्नेन: with all effort
• सर्वप्रयत्नेन: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सर्वः प्रयत्नः), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• आत्मानम्: the self
• आत्मानम्: Karman (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• स्मर: remember
• स्मर: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (निपात)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/assuring particle)

• यम: O Yama / Yama
• यम: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे अपि पाठान्तरसम्भवः (हे यम इति vocative variant)

Speaker

Śiva (Śaṃbhu)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yama (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stark Himalayan scene: smoke-like illusions rise from worldly objects; a figure resembling Yama stands as a moral witness while a seeker turns inward, hand on heart, remembering the Self.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Yama
• Ātman

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly grandeur is empty; liberation-oriented life begins with steady remembrance of the Ātman.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage belongs to Kedārakhaṇḍa’s broader Kedāra sacred geography, but this verse emphasizes inner realization rather than site description.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No external rite is stated; the injunction is an inner sādhana—Ātma-smaraṇa (remembrance of the Self).