Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

प्रथमेन जयेत्स्वेदं मध्यमेन तु वेपथुम् । विषादं च तृतीयेन जयेद्दोषाननुक्रमात्

Transliteration

prathamena jayetsvedaṃ madhyamena tu vepathum | viṣādaṃ ca tṛtīyena jayeddoṣānanukramāt

Translation

ആദ്യത്താൽ വിയർപ്പ് ജയിക്കുന്നു, മധ്യമത്താൽ വിറയൽ; മൂന്നാമത്താൽ വിഷാദം—ഇങ്ങനെ ക്രമമായി ദോഷങ്ങളെ ജയിക്കാം।

Word by Word

• प्रथमेन: by the first (measure/type)
• प्रथमेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रथम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (contextual), तृतीया, एकवचन; विशेषणरूपेण (by the first [type])

• जयेत्: should conquer/overcome
• जयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जि (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• स्वेदम्: sweating
• स्वेदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• मध्यमेन: by the middle (measure/type)
• मध्यमेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मध्यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (contextual), तृतीया, एकवचन; विशेषणरूपेण (by the middle [type])

• तु: then/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, विरोध/विशेषार्थक (particle)

• वेपथुम्: trembling
• वेपथुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेपथु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• विषादम्: dejection
• विषादम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विषाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

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

• तृतीयेन: by the third (measure/type)
• तृतीयेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृतीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (contextual), तृतीया, एकवचन; विशेषणरूपेण (by the third [type])

• जयेत्: should conquer/overcome
• जयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जि (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• दोषान्: faults/defects
• दोषान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• अनुक्रमात्: in sequence/according to order
• अनुक्रमात्: Hetu/Adhikarana (Ablative of manner/cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनुक्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे (ablative used adverbially: ‘in due order’)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Three-panel progression: (1) yogin with beads of sweat dissipating, (2) body steadied as trembling lines vanish, (3) face serene as a dark cloud of viṣāda clears; a subtle Śiva-liṅga in the background as the goal of purification.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady practice removes obstacles step by step—first bodily agitation, then deeper nervous disturbance, and finally mental gloom.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; it describes inner purification through yogic method.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A graded practice: progressing through three prāṇāyāma levels to overcome specific disturbances.