Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

एतेषां प्रथमौ यौ द्वौ निवृत्तिरहितौ स्मृतौ । औषधैश्चैव मंत्रैश्च शेषा नाशं व्रजंति च

Transliteration

eteṣāṃ prathamau yau dvau nivṛttirahitau smṛtau | auṣadhaiścaiva maṃtraiśca śeṣā nāśaṃ vrajaṃti ca

Translation

Parmi elles, les deux premières sont tenues pour sans cessation (difficiles à retrancher) ; mais la dernière peut être détruite par les remèdes et aussi par les mantras.

Word by Word

• eteṣām: of these
• eteṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• prathamau: the first two
• prathamau: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prathama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषण

• yau: which (two)
• yau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• dvau: two
• dvau: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvi (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; संख्याविशेषण

• nivṛttirahitau: devoid of cessation (incurable)
• nivṛttirahitau: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nivṛtti-rahita (प्रातिपदिक; निवृत्ति + रहित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; विशेषण; तत्पुरुष-समास (निवृत्त्या रहितौ)

• smṛtau: are said/considered
• smṛtau: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु; √स्मृ)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, कर्मणि/भावे), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; ‘स्मृत’ = considered/said

• auṣadhaiḥ: by medicines
• auṣadhaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: auṣadha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• mantraiḥ: by mantras
• mantraiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• śeṣāḥ: the remaining (ones)
• śeṣāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• nāśam: destruction
• nāśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• vrajanti: go/attain
• vrajanti: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vraj (धातु; √व्रज्)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

Speaker

The personified Diseases (Vyādhayaḥ)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king) and/or dvija interlocutors implied

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher explains that two diseases are obstinate while one is curable by medicine and mantra; the king’s face shows concern turning into resolve to seek a higher remedy.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It balances worldly remedy (medicine) with sacred remedy (mantra), while acknowledging that some afflictions persist due to deeper causes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Use of auṣadha (medicine) and mantra (sacred formula) is indicated as a means of destroying the remaining disease.