Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

केचिच्छंसन्ति संन्यासं नन्दभद्रो न मन्यते । यो हि संन्यस्य विषयान्मनसा गृह्यते पुनः

Transliteration

kecicchaṃsanti saṃnyāsaṃ nandabhadro na manyate | yo hi saṃnyasya viṣayānmanasā gṛhyate punaḥ

Translation

ചിലർ സന്ന്യാസത്തെ പുകഴ്ത്തുന്നു; എന്നാൽ നന്ദഭദ്രൻ അതിനെ (യഥാർത്ഥം) എന്നു അംഗീകരിക്കുന്നില്ല—വിഷയങ്ങളെ ഉപേക്ഷിച്ചിട്ടും മനസ്സിൽ വീണ്ടും അവയെ പിടിക്കുന്നവനെക്കുറിച്ച്.

Word by Word

• केचित्: some (people)
• केचित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1), बहुवचनार्थे; indefinite pronoun ‘some (people)’

• शंसन्ति: praise/commend
• शंसन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शंस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; present indicative active

• संन्यासम्: renunciation
• संन्यासम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संन्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2), एकवचन; accusative singular

• नन्दभद्रः: Nandabhadra
• नन्दभद्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नन्दभद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1), एकवचन; proper name; समासः—कर्मधारय (नन्दः + भद्रः)

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

• मन्यते: thinks/accepts
• मन्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; present indicative middle ‘thinks/considers’

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1), एकवचन; relative pronoun ‘who’

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात; emphatic/causal particle

• संन्यस्य: having renounced
• संन्यस्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् + नि + अस् (धातु) → संन्यस्य (कृदन्त, ल्यप्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त-अव्यय; absolutive (gerund) ‘having renounced’

• विषयान्: sense-objects
• विषयान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विषय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2), बहुवचन; accusative plural

• मनसा: by the mind
• मनसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3), एकवचन; instrumental singular

• गृह्यते: is grasped/accepted
• गृह्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/पुनरावृत्ति-अव्यय; adverb ‘again’

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating within Māheśvara-khaṇḍa context

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An ascetic with staff and ochre cloth stands outwardly detached, yet a faint thought-vision shows sense-objects (food, wealth, pleasure) clinging to his mind; Nandabhadra (teacher figure) gestures in admonition.

Characters & Entities

• Nandabhadra
• Saṃnyāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Renunciation is incomplete if the mind still clings to sense-objects; inner detachment is essential.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named; the teaching concerns inner discipline relevant to all sacred journeys.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No external rite is prescribed; the instruction is psychological-spiritual: abandon viṣayas in thought as well as action.