Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

ज्ञानात्संप्राप्यते मोक्षः सत्यमेतन्मयोदितम् । एनमर्थं भविष्यं तु भीष्मं शांतनवं नृप

Transliteration

jñānātsaṃprāpyate mokṣaḥ satyametanmayoditam | enamarthaṃ bhaviṣyaṃ tu bhīṣmaṃ śāṃtanavaṃ nṛpa

Translation

«Par la connaissance (jñāna) on obtient la délivrance (mokṣa) : telle est la vérité que j’ai dite. Cet enseignement même, ô roi, tu l’entendras de Bhīṣma, fils de Śāntanu.»

Word by Word

• ज्ञानात्: from knowledge
• ज्ञानात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन

• संप्राप्यते: is attained
• संप्राप्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः

• मोक्षः: liberation
• मोक्षः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सत्यम्: true
• सत्यम्: Kriya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicative adjective)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; संकेत-सर्वनाम (this)

• मया: by me
• मया: Kartr (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/कर्तृ), एकवचन

• उदितम्: said/uttered
• उदितम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद् + इ (धातु) + त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि—“said/uttered”

• एनम्: this (person)/him
• एनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (him/this one)

• अर्थम्: meaning/matter
• अर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भविष्यं: future/coming
• भविष्यं: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भविष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘भविष्यत्’ अर्थे (future/coming)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-निपात (but/indeed)

• भीष्मम्: Bhīṣma
• भीष्मम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीष्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; व्यक्तिनाम

• शांतनवम्: Śāntanu’s son
• शांतनवम्: Karma (Apposition/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शांतनव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; गोत्र/पितृव्युत्पन्न-नाम (son of Śāntanu)

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Bhartṛyajña

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king) addressed; contextually aligned with Janamejaya-type framing common to Purāṇas, though not explicit here

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage-narrator addresses a king, declaring that liberation is attained through knowledge, and invokes Bhīṣma Śāntanava as the forthcoming authoritative voice; the scene feels like a textual handover from Purāṇic narrator to Itihāsa testimony.

Characters & Entities

• mokṣa
• jñāna
• Bhīṣma
• Śāntanu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation is grounded in jñāna (true knowledge), surpassing the reward-punishment axis of svarga and naraka.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned; the verse provides doctrinal culmination often paired with tīrtha practice—purifying action supported by liberating knowledge.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it states a soteriological principle: mokṣa is attained through knowledge.