Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

देवतानां मुखं तद्धि कीर्त्यते याज्ञिकैः सदा । एवं योगी सदाऽभ्यासाज्जायते मोक्षभाजनम्

Transliteration

devatānāṃ mukhaṃ taddhi kīrtyate yājñikaiḥ sadā | evaṃ yogī sadā'bhyāsājjāyate mokṣabhājanam

Translation

Cela, en vérité, est sans cesse nommé par les officiants du yajña « la bouche des dieux ». Ainsi, par une pratique ininterrompue, le yogin devient un réceptacle digne de la délivrance.

Word by Word

• देवतानाम्: of the deities
• देवतानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन (Feminine, Genitive plural)

• मुखम्: mouth; face
• मुखम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter Nom./Acc. singular)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Pronoun, Neuter Nom./Acc. singular)

• हि: indeed; for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle: emphatic/causal 'indeed/for')

• कीर्त्यते: is proclaimed; is called
• कीर्त्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kīrt (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive), आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Present passive, 3rd person singular)

• याज्ञिकैः: by ritualists; sacrificers
• याज्ञिकैः: Kartr (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yājñika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन (Masculine, Instrumental plural)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb: 'always')

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारसूचक (adverb: 'thus/in this way')

• योगी: the yogi
• योगी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yogin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative singular)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb: 'always')

• अभ्यासात्: from practice; due to practice
• अभ्यासात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source/हेतु-अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abhyāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (अपादान/हेतु), एकवचन (Masculine, Ablative singular)

• जायते: is born; arises; becomes
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jan (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Present, Atmanepada, 3rd person singular)

• मोक्ष-भाजनम्: a recipient of liberation
• मोक्ष-भाजनम्: Karma/Phala (Result/कर्म-फल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mokṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + bhājana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter Nom./Acc. singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ('of liberation' + 'receptacle/recipient')

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī/Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A yajñika altar at a tīrtha with rising oblations and Vedic reciters; beside it a yogin seated in padmāsana, eyes half-closed, suggesting the ‘mouth of the gods’ as both ritual fire and inner channel to liberation.

Characters & Entities

• Devatā
• Yājñika
• Yogī
• Mokṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady practice (abhyāsa) matures a seeker into a worthy recipient of mokṣa, aligning inner yoga with the sanctity praised in yajña traditions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular site is named; the verse emphasizes ritual theology and yogic maturation within the Māhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The prescription is sustained abhyāsa (regular practice); yajñika language is used to frame its sacred efficacy.