Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

स च योगी महाप्राज्ञः प्रज्ञाचक्षुरहं नधीः । अहंकारो विषमिदं शरीरे वर्त्तते नृणाम्

Transliteration

sa ca yogī mahāprājñaḥ prajñācakṣurahaṃ nadhīḥ | ahaṃkāro viṣamidaṃ śarīre varttate nṛṇām

Translation

Un tel yogin est d’une grande sagesse, voyant avec l’œil du discernement—sachant : « Je ne suis pas l’intellect ». Car l’ego (ahaṃkāra) est un poison subtil qui demeure dans le corps des humains.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

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

• योगी: a yogin
• योगी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योगिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• महाप्राज्ञः: greatly wise
• महाप्राज्ञः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा-प्राज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् प्राज्ञः)

• प्रज्ञाचक्षुः: one whose eye is wisdom
• प्रज्ञाचक्षुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रज्ञा-चक्षुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (प्रज्ञाया चक्षुः = whose eye is wisdom / having wisdom as eye)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• धीः: intellect
• धीः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• अहंकारः: egoism
• अहंकारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहंकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• विषम्: poison
• विषम्: Pratipadyam (Predicate/प्रत्यय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Pratipadyam (Predicate/प्रत्यय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• शरीरे: in the body
• शरीरे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• वर्तते: exists/operates
• वर्तते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• नृणाम्: of men
• नृणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solitary yogin seated near a tīrtha-bank, eyes half-closed, with a faint serpent-like mist labeled ‘ahaṃkāra’ dissolving as a lamp of discernment shines from the brow/heart.

Characters & Entities

• Ahaṃkāra
• Prajñā
• Yogī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberating wisdom includes discernment and freedom from ego-identification, since ahaṃkāra corrupts spiritual life like poison.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse; it focuses on inner obstacles relevant to pilgrimage and vows.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A yogic discipline of viveka: rejecting egoic identification (e.g., ‘I am the intellect’) and recognizing ahaṃkāra as a danger to be overcome.