Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 75

Devanagari script

माहात्म्यं नाशमायाति शास्त्रं स्यात्सत्यवर्जितम् । तस्मात्त्वं नित्यमारूढो विमा ने त्रैवसुन्दरे

Transliteration

māhātmyaṃ nāśamāyāti śāstraṃ syātsatyavarjitam | tasmāttvaṃ nityamārūḍho vimā ne traivasundare

Translation

માહાત્મ્ય નષ્ટ થઈ જશે અને શાસ્ત્ર સત્યવિહિન બની જશે. તેથી તું સદા ‘ત્રૈવસુંદર’ નામના વિમાન પર આરૂઢ રહેજે.

Word by Word

• māhātmyam: greatness, sacred merit (māhātmya)
• māhātmyam: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; एकवचन; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (here: प्रथमा as subject)

• nāśam: destruction, loss
• nāśam: Karma (Object/Goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; एकवचन; द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative)

• āyāti: goes to, comes to (i.e., meets)
• āyāti: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā+yam/ā+i (धातु: ā+yā)
• Form: लट् लकार (Present); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन

• śāstram: scripture, teaching
• śāstram: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāstra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; एकवचन; प्रथमा विभक्ति

• syāt: would be
• syāt: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन

• satyavarjitam: devoid of truth
• satyavarjitam: Karta (Predicate complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: satya + varjita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; एकवचन; प्रथमा विभक्ति; विशेषण; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'सत्येन वर्जितम्' (devoid of truth)

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu (Reason/therefore)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत्; हेत्वर्थे 'therefore'

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; एकवचन; प्रथमा विभक्ति

• nityam: always
• nityam: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक used adverbially)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (adverbial accusative); 'always'

• ārūḍhaḥ: mounted
• ārūḍhaḥ: Karta (Predicate attribute)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā+ruh (धातु) → ārūḍha (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP) 'mounted/ascended'; पुंलिङ्ग; एकवचन; प्रथमा विभक्ति; विशेषण (of tvam)

• vimāne: in the aerial car
• vimāne: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vimāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; एकवचन; सप्तमी विभक्ति (Locative)

• traivasundare: in the exceedingly beautiful (vimāna)
• traivasundare: Adhikarana (Qualifier of location)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: traiva + sundara (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; एकवचन; सप्तमी विभक्ति; विशेषण (of vimāne); कर्मधारय: 'त्रैव-सुन्दरम्' (very/threefold beautiful)

Speaker

Brahmā (continuing speech)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: the dispatched being

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant celestial chariot named Traivasundara hovers; a divine figure is instructed to remain mounted perpetually to safeguard the truth of the mahātmya; the scene feels like a cosmic stage set for witness.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Traivasundara (vimāna)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Māhātmya literature is framed as truth-bearing; preserving its integrity is presented as preserving śāstra itself.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse emphasizes the authority of the Māhātmya tied to the local tīrtha narrative rather than naming a new site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual; it gives an instruction to remain on a vimāna (Traivasundara) as part of the narrative arrangement.