Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

दुःशील उवाच । तवादेशः प्रमाणं मे केवलं तापसोत्तम । किं मठेन करिष्यामि विशेषाद्रा त्रिसंगमे

Transliteration

duḥśīla uvāca | tavādeśaḥ pramāṇaṃ me kevalaṃ tāpasottama | kiṃ maṭhena kariṣyāmi viśeṣādrā trisaṃgame

Translation

Duḥśīla berkata: “Wahai pertapa termulia, titahmu sajalah bagiku ukuran yang sah. Apalah perluku pada maṭha, terlebih di tirtha pertemuan tiga aliran suci ini?”

Word by Word

• दुःशीलः: Duḥśīla
• दुःशीलः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःशील (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन (singular); वक्तृ-नाम (speaker name)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular), परस्मैपद

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन (singular)

• आदेशः: command
• आदेशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन (singular)

• प्रमाणम्: authority / proof
• प्रमाणम्: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन (singular); विधेय (predicate nominative)

• मे: for me
• मे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध) वा चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान) एकवचन; अत्र ‘मे’ = ‘for me / to me’ (dative sense)

• केवलम्: only
• केवलम्: Sambandha (Modifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: केवल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable) used as adverb = ‘only/merely’

• तापस-उत्तम: O best of ascetics
• तापस-उत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तापस (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बोधन (vocative), पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), एकवचन (singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (among ascetics, the best)

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन (singular); प्रश्न (interrogative)

• मठेन: with a monastery / by a monastery
• मठेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन (singular)

• करिष्यामि: shall I do
• करिष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (singular), परस्मैपद

• विशेषात्: especially
• विशेषात्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत्-प्रयोग (indeclinable usage), पञ्चमी-अर्थे (ablatival adverb) = ‘especially’

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• त्रि-संगमे: at the threefold confluence
• त्रि-संगमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + संगम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन (singular); द्विगु-समास (threefold confluence)

Speaker

Duḥśīla

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Trisaṅgama

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Duḥśīla speaks with earnest conviction to the ascetic, hands folded, with the dramatic meeting of three rivers behind them; the monastery appears secondary in the composition, dwarfed by the sacred waters.

Characters & Entities

• Duḥśīla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The disciple affirms guru-ājñā as the highest pramāṇa; obedience is valued even amid the allure of a powerful tīrtha setting.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A tri-saṅgama (sacred confluence of three) is referenced as a specially potent tīrtha within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, the disciple accepts the guru’s prescribed samaya; the verse itself is a declaration of compliance rather than a new ritual instruction.