Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन तत्तीर्थवरमाश्रयेत् । य इच्छेच्छाश्वतं स्वर्गं सदैव मनुजो द्विजाः

Transliteration

tasmātsarvaprayatnena tattīrthavaramāśrayet | ya icchecchāśvataṃ svargaṃ sadaiva manujo dvijāḥ

Translation

C’est pourquoi, de tout effort, il faut se réfugier en ce tīrtha excellent ; quiconque désire un ciel éternel tout en vivant en homme, ô brāhmaṇas.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी, एकवचन; ablative singular ‘therefore/from that’

• सर्व-प्रयत्नेन: with all effort
• सर्व-प्रयत्नेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुषः; ‘सर्वः प्रयत्नः’), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; instrumental singular ‘with all effort’

• तत्-तीर्थ-वरम्: that excellent sacred ford
• तत्-तीर्थ-वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (कर्मधारयः; ‘तत् तीर्थं वरं’ = that excellent tīrtha), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; accusative singular neuter

• आश्रयेत्: should resort to
• आश्रयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ√श्रि (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

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

• इच्छेत्: should desire
• इच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √इष् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• शाश्वतम्: eternal
• शाश्वतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शाश्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; adjective agreeing with स्वर्गम्

• स्वर्गम्: heaven
• स्वर्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• मनुजः: a man
• मनुजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; nominative singular masculine

• द्विजाः: O twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; vocative/ nominative plural form; here संबोधन (address)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Māhātmya narrative style within Skanda Purāṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tīrtha-vara (unnamed in excerpt)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijāḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher-figure addresses assembled brāhmaṇas, pointing toward a shining tīrtha in the distance; pilgrims prepare with staffs and waterpots, symbolizing determined effort toward svarga.

Characters & Entities

• Dvijas (twice-born)
• Svarga
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma encourages deliberate pilgrimage: sustained effort toward sacred places is itself a spiritual discipline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘excellent tīrtha’ described in this chapter—centered on Śūdrakeśvara in the Gaṅgā–Yamunā region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A general injunction: āśraya (resort to/visit and stay at) the tīrtha with full effort, implying observance of its rites.