Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

लोके मुमुक्षवः केचिच्चित्तशुद्धिमभीप्सवः । वाचा पठंति वेदांतांस्तूष्णीन्नानुभवंति ते

Transliteration

loke mumukṣavaḥ keciccittaśuddhimabhīpsavaḥ | vācā paṭhaṃti vedāṃtāṃstūṣṇīnnānubhavaṃti te

Translation

ലോകത്തിൽ ചില മുമുക്ഷുക്കൾ ചിത്തശുദ്ധി ആഗ്രഹിച്ച് വേദാന്തം വാക്കാൽ മാത്രം പാരായണം ചെയ്യുന്നു; എന്നാൽ മൗനത്തിൽ അതിന്റെ അന്തർഅനുഭവം അവർക്കില്ല।

Word by Word

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• मुमुक्षवः: seekers of liberation
• मुमुक्षवः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुमुक्षु (प्रातिपदिक; मुच्-धातोः इच्छार्थक-उणादि/कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन

• केचित्: some
• केचित्: Visheshana (Qualifier of mumukṣavaḥ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन; अनिश्चितार्थक (indefinite)

• चित्तशुद्धिम्: purification of the mind
• चित्तशुद्धिम्: Karma (Object of desiring)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्त-शुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—चित्तस्य शुद्धिः

• अभीप्सवः: desiring
• अभीप्सवः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अभीप्सु (प्रातिपदिक; आप्/ईप्स्-धातोः इच्छार्थक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘some seekers’)

• वाचा: by speech/with words
• वाचा: Karana (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• पठन्ति: recite/read
• पठन्ति: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पठ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• वेदान्तान्: the Vedāntas (Upaniṣads)
• वेदान्तान्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेदान्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन; समासः—वेदस्य अन्तः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• तूष्णीन्: silently
• तूष्णीन्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तूष्णीम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb) ‘silently’; पदपाठे ‘तूष्णीम्’ (अत्र छन्दसि/लिप्यन्तरे ‘तूष्णीन्’)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• अनुभवन्ति: experience/realize
• अनुभवन्ति: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु-भू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन

Speaker

Sūta (contextual continuity)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jaṭātīrtha (implied as the remedy-context)

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A group of scholars recite from palm-leaf texts with animated mouths and gestures, while a silent sage sits apart, eyes half-closed, embodying anubhava; the contrast is the central visual theme.

Characters & Entities

• Vedānta
• Mumukṣus

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mere verbal study is insufficient; inner realization requires purification and lived practice, not only recitation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sets up the praise of Jaṭātīrtha by contrasting it with purely verbal Vedānta; the implied site is Jaṭātīrtha in this adhyāya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; it critiques reliance on recitation alone and prepares for the tīrtha-based remedy.