Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

एवं ज्ञात्वा मया विप्र दृष्ट्वा सर्पविचेष्टितम् । सर्वसंगपरित्यागो मोक्षार्थं परिकल्पितः

Transliteration

evaṃ jñātvā mayā vipra dṛṣṭvā sarpaviceṣṭitam | sarvasaṃgaparityāgo mokṣārthaṃ parikalpitaḥ

Translation

Ainsi, ô brāhmaṇa, ayant compris (cette vérité) en observant la conduite d’un serpent, j’ai adopté le renoncement à tout attachement comme voie ordonnée en vue de la délivrance (mokṣa).

Word by Word

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb of manner)

• jñātvā: having known
• jñātvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jñā (धातु) + tvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive)

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• vipra: O brāhmaṇa
• vipra: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु) + tvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive)

• sarpa-viceṣṭitam: the conduct/movement of a snake
• sarpa-viceṣṭitam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarpa (प्रातिपदिक) + viceṣṭita (प्रातिपदिक; from vi+ceṣṭ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• sarva-saṅga-parityāgaḥ: abandonment of all attachments
• sarva-saṅga-parityāgaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + saṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + parityāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• mokṣa-artham: for liberation
• mokṣa-artham: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: mokṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; प्रयोजनार्थे (accusative of purpose)

• parikalpitaḥ: has been ordained/arranged
• parikalpitaḥ: Kriyā (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari + kḷp (धातु) + ta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘has been prescribed/arranged’

Speaker

Unspecified (deduced: first-person narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya addressing a brāhmaṇa)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇa interlocutor

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contemplative ascetic watches a serpent moving silently, shedding skin or slipping into a hole; the scene conveys the lesson of solitude, minimal contact, and leaving behind old coverings (attachments).

Characters & Entities

• Vipra (brāhmaṇa)
• Sarpa (serpent)
• Mokṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Nature itself can become a guru; observing the serpent’s way inspires complete non-attachment as a means to mokṣa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse does not name a specific tīrtha; it frames an instructive episode within the broader tīrtha-māhātmya chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual; it prescribes sarvasaṅga-parityāga—renouncing all worldly ties for liberation.