Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

स्वंस्वं मार्गं परित्यज्य ययुर्निर्वाणपद्धतिम् । मंदरे पवतश्रेष्ठे सा मूर्तिर्नित्यसंस्तुता

Transliteration

svaṃsvaṃ mārgaṃ parityajya yayurnirvāṇapaddhatim | maṃdare pavataśreṣṭhe sā mūrtirnityasaṃstutā

Translation

Délaissant leurs voies étroites, ils s’avancèrent sur le sentier du Nirvāṇa, la voie de la délivrance. Sur Mandara, le plus excellent des monts, cette Forme est louée à jamais.

Word by Word

• स्वम्: one's own
• स्वम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (Accusative singular; adjective)

• स्वम्: each his own
• स्वम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; पुनरुक्त-विशेषण (repeated adjective)

• मार्गम्: path
• मार्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म (Masculine, Accusative singular; object)

• परित्यज्य: having abandoned
• परित्यज्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु) → परि-त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), परि-उपसर्ग (indeclinable gerund: having abandoned)

• ययुः: they went
• ययुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद (Perfect, 3rd pl, active)

• निर्वाणपद्धतिम्: the path to liberation (nirvāṇa)
• निर्वाणपद्धतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निर्वाण (प्रातिपदिक) + पद्धति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (Feminine, Accusative singular; the path of nirvāṇa)

• मन्दरे: on/at Mandara (mountain)
• मन्दरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्दर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण (Masculine, Locative singular; location)

• पवतश्रेष्ठे: in the best of mountains
• पवतश्रेष्ठे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पवत (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (in the best of mountains)

• सा: she/that (goddess/form)
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम; कर्ता (Feminine, Nominative singular; pronoun)

• मूर्तिः: form, manifestation
• मूर्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूर्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्ता (Feminine, Nominative singular; subject)

• नित्यसंस्तुता: constantly praised
• नित्यसंस्तुता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक) + संस्तुत (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; विशेषण (Feminine, Nominative singular; ever-praised)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual narration within the chapter; speaker not explicit in the snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mandara-parvata (Mandara tīrtha)

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims renounce their separate tracks and converge toward a luminous, praised divine form on Mandara mountain; the peak is shown as sanctified, with hymns rising like incense.

Characters & Entities

• Mandara (mountain)
• Harihara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation is approached by transcending rigid factionalism and honoring the one Divine reality praised in sacred places.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mandara—the श्रेष्ठ पर्वत (foremost mountain)—is highlighted as the locus where the Harihara form is perpetually extolled.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed; the emphasis is on devotion and the liberating orientation (nirvāṇa-paddhati).