Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

सकामो यदि विप्रेंद्र ध्यायमानः सुरूपताम् । निष्कामो वा परं स्थानं गमि ष्यति शिवात्मकम्

Transliteration

sakāmo yadi vipreṃdra dhyāyamānaḥ surūpatām | niṣkāmo vā paraṃ sthānaṃ gami ṣyati śivātmakam

Translation

おお、婆羅門の長よ。欲をもってこれを行い、美を観想する者は端正なる姿を得る。だが欲なき者は、シヴァの本性なる至上の住処へと赴く。

Word by Word

• सकामः: desirous (with desires)
• सकामः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स-काम (प्रातिपदिक; काम-प्रातिपदिकसहित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (having desire)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्धबोधक/शर्तसूचक अव्यय (conditional particle)

• विप्र-इन्द्र: O best of Brahmins
• विप्र-इन्द्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक) + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे ‘विप्राणाम् इन्द्रः’

• ध्यायमानः: meditating
• ध्यायमानः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्यै (धातु) → ध्यायमान (कृदन्त, शतृ/शानच्-प्रत्यय; वर्तमानकालिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; वर्तमानकाले कर्तरि शानच् (present active participle)

• सुरूपताम्: beautiful form/beauty
• सुरूपताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु-रूपता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मपद

• निष्कामः: desireless
• निष्कामः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निः-काम (प्रातिपदिक; काम-प्रातिपदिकसहित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (desireless)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘स्थानम्’ इति विशेषण

• स्थानम्: abode/place
• स्थानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; गमनस्य कर्म

• गमिष्यति: will go/attain
• गमिष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• शिवात्मकम्: of the nature of Śiva
• शिवात्मकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘स्थानम्’ इति विशेषण; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे ‘शिवस्य आत्मा/स्वरूपं यस्य’

Speaker

Bhagavān

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: viprendra (chief of brāhmaṇas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa devotee at a sacred ford meditates on radiant beauty; the scene bifurcates symbolically—one path showing enhanced comeliness, the other a luminous ascent into Śiva’s supreme realm.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The same sacred act yields different fruits according to intention: desire leads to worldly enhancement, while desirelessness leads toward Śiva-realization and the highest state.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha of Nāgarakhaṇḍa Adhyāya 11, whose practice is framed as capable of granting both worldly and transcendental outcomes.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dhyāna (meditative intention) is highlighted—either meditating on beauty for sakāma fruit or approaching desirelessly for the supreme Śiva-oriented fruit.