Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 61

Devanagari script

निसर्गचपलां प्राप्य भ्रमरीमिव तां श्रियम् । नैवालमभवं तस्या धारणे दैवयोगतः

Transliteration

nisargacapalāṃ prāpya bhramarīmiva tāṃ śriyam | naivālamabhavaṃ tasyā dhāraṇe daivayogataḥ

Translation

സ്വഭാവത്തിൽ ചഞ്ചലമായ, ഭ്രമരിയെപ്പോലെ അലയുന്ന ആ ശ്രീയെ ലഭിച്ചിട്ടും, ദൈവയോഗത്താൽ ഞാൻ അതിനെ നിലനിർത്താൻ കഴിഞ്ഞില്ല.

Word by Word

• nisargacapalām: naturally fickle
• nisargacapalām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nisarga + capalā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष: निसर्गेण चपला; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘श्रियम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• prāpya: having obtained
• prāpya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pra + āp (आप्—प्राप्तौ धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund): प्राप्य = having obtained

• bhramarīm: a female bee
• bhramarīm: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhramarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; उपमान (simile term)

• iva: like
• iva: Upama-dyotaka (Simile marker/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (simile particle): इव (like/as)

• tām: that
• tām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘श्रियम्’ इत्यस्य निर्देशक

• śriyam: fortune/prosperity
• śriyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (negation): न (not)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (emphasis): एव (indeed)

• alam: able/sufficient
• alam: Prayojana (Capability/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: alam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (sufficiency particle): अलम् (enough/able)

• abhavam: I was/became
• abhavam: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (भू—सत्तायाम् धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), परस्मैपद; उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘अभवम्’ = I became/was

• tasyāḥ: of it/of her
• tasyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• dhāraṇe: in retaining (it)
• dhāraṇe: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; ‘धारणे’ = in holding/retaining

• daivayogataḥ: due to fate/by divine dispensation
• daivayogataḥ: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: daiva + yogatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-आधारित अव्यय: दैवेन योगः यस्मात्; पञ्चमी-अर्थे अव्यय (ablatival adverb): ‘दैवयोगतः’ = due to fate/divine conjunction

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Fortune personified as a shimmering presence flits away like a bee; the narrator reaches but cannot hold it, while a calm Śiva-symbol in the background suggests the stable refuge.

Characters & Entities

• Śrī (Lakṣmī/fortune)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Prosperity is unstable; one should not cling to it, but align life with dharma and humility.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned in this verse; it is a moral reflection on wealth and fate.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse implies inner renunciation rather than a stated ritual.