Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

हरभक्तस्य लोकस्य त्रिलोक्यां नास्ति दुर्लभम् । बहिःप्रवृत्तिं सगृह्य ज्ञानकर्मेन्द्रियादि च

Transliteration

harabhaktasya lokasya trilokyāṃ nāsti durlabham | bahiḥpravṛttiṃ sagṛhya jñānakarmendriyādi ca

Translation

ഹരഭക്തർക്കു ത്രിലോകത്തിലും ദുർലഭമെന്നൊന്നുമില്ല. എങ്കിലും ബാഹ്യപ്രവൃത്തിയും ജ്ഞാന-കർമേന്ദ്രിയാദികളും സ്വീകരിച്ച്, അവയുടെ യഥാസ്ഥാനം മനസ്സിലാക്കണം.

Word by Word

• हरभक्तस्य: of a devotee of Hara
• हरभक्तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर + भक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष): हरेः भक्तः

• लोकस्य: of the people/world
• लोकस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); एकवचन

• त्रिलोक्याम्: in the three worlds
• त्रिलोक्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन; समासः—द्विगु: त्रयः लोकाः यस्याम् (त्रिलोक्यां)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधबोधक-अव्यय (negation)

• अस्ति: is
• अस्ति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd); एकवचन

• दुर्लभम्: hard to obtain
• दुर्लभम्: Visheshya (Predicate adjective/विशेष्य)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर् + लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष/उपपद: दुष्टं/दुर्लभं लभ्यते (hard-to-obtain); विधेय-विशेषण

• बहिःप्रवृत्तिम्: outward activity
• बहिःप्रवृत्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बहिः (अव्यय) + प्रवृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; समासः—अव्ययीभाव: बहिः प्रवृत्तिः

• सगृह्य: having restrained/collected
• सगृह्य: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund); उपसर्ग: सम्; रूपम्: संगृह्य

• ज्ञानकर्मेन्द्रियादि: the sense-faculties etc. (of knowledge and action)
• ज्ञानकर्मेन्द्रियादि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान + कर्मेन्द्रिय + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (समाहार/आदि-समास): ज्ञान-इन्द्रियाणि कर्म-इन्द्रियाणि च आदयः

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

Speaker

Narrator/teacher

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Hara-bhakta audience; king implied from prior verse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Śaiva teacher addresses devotees: on one side, symbols of ‘triloka-siddhi’ (heavenly, earthly, nether realms); on the other, a disciplined householder restrains senses—hands withdrawing from temptations while holding a rudrākṣa mālā.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Hara
• Triloka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva-devotion grants extraordinary attainments, but spiritual maturity requires right handling of outward action and the senses.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No holy site is specified; the verse is a general praise of Hara-bhakti.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is listed; it points to disciplined engagement with action and the sense-faculties within a devotional life.