Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

श्रीब्रह्मोवाच । विश्वामित्र प्रतुष्टोऽस्मि तपसानेन सत्तम । वरं वरय भद्रं ते प्रदास्याम्यपि दुर्लभम्

Transliteration

śrībrahmovāca | viśvāmitra pratuṣṭo'smi tapasānena sattama | varaṃ varaya bhadraṃ te pradāsyāmyapi durlabham

Translation

ശ്രീബ്രഹ്മാവ് അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—ഹേ വിശ്വാമിത്രാ, സത്തമാ! നിന്റെ ഈ തപസ്സാൽ ഞാൻ അത്യന്തം പ്രസന്നനാകുന്നു. വരം വരിക്ക; നിനക്കു മംഗളം—ദുർലഭമായതും ഞാൻ നൽകും।

Word by Word

• श्रीब्रह्मा: the revered Brahmā
• श्रीब्रह्मा: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रीब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (श्रीः + ब्रह्मा)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• विश्वामित्र: O Viśvāmitra
• विश्वामित्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वामित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• प्रतुष्टः: well-pleased
• प्रतुष्टः: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-तुष् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘अस्मि’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• अस्मि: I am
• अस्मि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन

• तपसा: by austerity
• तपसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• अनेन: by this
• अनेन: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; ‘तपसा’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• सत्तम: O best of the virtuous
• सत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• वरम्: a boon
• वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• वरय: choose
• वरय: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• भद्रम्: good fortune
• भद्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; आशीर्वादार्थकं प्रयोगः

• ते: for you / of you
• ते: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• प्रदास्यामि: I will grant
• प्रदास्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-दा (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• अपि: even / also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-भाव

• दुर्लभम्: hard to obtain
• दुर्लभम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर् + लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘वरम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Brahmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Viśvāmitra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā, four-faced and lotus-seated, addresses the ascetic Viśvāmitra whose body is lean from tapas; surrounding are luminous devarṣis and a subtle aura of sacrificial fire and mantra-vibration.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Viśvāmitra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine grace is shown to follow sincere tapas; boons are granted when austerity is aligned with a focused spiritual aim.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions within the chapter’s broader tīrtha-māhātmya narration.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed; the verse highlights tapas as the qualifying discipline for receiving a boon.