Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

निष्कामो वा नरो यस्तु तं पूजयति मानवः । स मोक्षमाप्नुयान्नूनं दुर्लभं त्रिदशैरपि

Transliteration

niṣkāmo vā naro yastu taṃ pūjayati mānavaḥ | sa mokṣamāpnuyānnūnaṃ durlabhaṃ tridaśairapi

Translation

Mais si un homme, délivré du désir, L’adore, ce mortel obtient assurément la libération (mokṣa), chose rare même pour les dieux.

Word by Word

• निष्कामः: desireless
• निष्कामः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निः (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (नर-विशेषण) ‘कामरहितः’

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (contrast/emphasis)

• तम्: him (that deity)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पूजयति: worships
• पूजयति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• मानवः: a human
• मानवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• मोक्षम्: liberation
• मोक्षम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• आप्नुयात्: would attain
• आप्नुयात्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; ‘may attain/would attain’

• नूनम्: surely
• नूनम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नूनम् (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (adverb of certainty)

• दुर्लभम्: hard to obtain
• दुर्लभम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर् (उपसर्ग) + लभ्य/लभ (धातु-आश्रित प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (मोक्ष-विशेषण)

• त्रिदशैः: by the gods
• त्रिदशैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिदश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), ‘even’

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Nāgara Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vaṭāditya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: General ‘mānava’ (human) addressed; dvija audience implied from passage flow

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solitary devotee at dawn, calm and desireless, offers arghya to Vaṭāditya; the sun’s rays form a path of light suggesting mokṣa; worldly petitioners fade into the background.

Characters & Entities

• Vaṭāditya (implied)
• Tridaśa (Devas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The highest fruit of tīrtha worship is not merely worldly success but mokṣa, especially when devotion is free from personal craving.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching continues the praise of Vaṭāditya worship within this tīrtha-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship performed in a niṣkāma (desireless) spirit; the emphasis is on inner attitude rather than a new external rite.