Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

तिष्ठन्स दर्शने तस्या एकदृष्ट्या व्यलोकयत् । योगीव सुसमाधिस्थो ध्यायंस्तद्ब्रह्म संस्थितम्

Transliteration

tiṣṭhansa darśane tasyā ekadṛṣṭyā vyalokayat | yogīva susamādhistho dhyāyaṃstadbrahma saṃsthitam

Translation

അവളുടെ ദർശനപരിധിയിൽ നിന്നുകൊണ്ട് അവൻ ഇമചിമ്മാതെ ഏകദൃഷ്ടിയോടെ അവളെ നോക്കി. ഹൃദയത്തിൽ സ്ഥാപിതമായ ബ്രഹ്മത്തെ ധ്യാനിച്ച് ഗാഢസമാധിയിൽ നിലകൊള്ളുന്ന യോഗിയെപ്പോലെ ആയിരുന്നു।

Word by Word

• तिष्ठन्: standing
• तिष्ठन्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) → तिष्ठत्/तिष्ठन् (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Present active participle, शतृ/शतृँ), प्रथमा एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine, Nominative singular)

• दर्शने: in/at the sight (presence)
• दर्शने: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन (Locative singular)

• तस्याः: of her
• तस्याः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन (Genitive singular)

• एकदृष्ट्या: with a single fixed gaze
• एकदृष्ट्या: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक-दृष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन (Instrumental singular); समासः—एकया दृष्ट्या (with a single gaze)

• व्यलोकयत्: he looked at
• व्यलोकयत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + लोक् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (3rd person singular)

• योगी: a yogi
• योगी: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योगिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• इव: like/as if
• इव: Upamana (उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमा-अव्यय (particle of comparison)

• सुसमाधिस्थः: well-established in deep concentration
• सुसमाधिस्थः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-समाधि-स्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—सु (उपसर्ग/उपपद) + समाधौ स्थितः (well-established in samādhi)

• ध्यायन्: meditating
• ध्यायन्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्यै (धातु) → ध्यायत्/ध्यायन् (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Present active participle), प्रथमा एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• ब्रह्म: Brahman / the Absolute
• ब्रह्म: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• संस्थितम्: established/steadfast
• संस्थितम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + स्था (धातु) → संस्थित (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (agreeing with तत् ब्रह्म)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in Nāgara-khaṇḍa narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On a quiet riverbank, Kāma stands motionless, eyes unblinking, gazing at the woman as if in yogic absorption; the water glints behind her, and the air feels suspended.

Characters & Entities

• Kāmadeva
• Brahman

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It contrasts worldly fixation with yogic one-pointedness, using samādhi imagery to highlight the power (and danger) of intense attention.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse does not name the tīrtha; it continues a narrative embedded in the chapter’s tīrtha-māhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; yogic vocabulary (samādhi, dhyāna, brahman) is used metaphorically.