Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

सर्वोपायैर्विष्णुरेव प्रसाद्यो योगिध्येयः प्रवरैः सर्ववर्णेः । विष्णोर्नाम्ना मुच्यते घोरबन्धाच्चातुर्मास्ये स्मर्यतेऽसौ विशेषात्

Transliteration

sarvopāyairviṣṇureva prasādyo yogidhyeyaḥ pravaraiḥ sarvavarṇeḥ | viṣṇornāmnā mucyate ghorabandhāccāturmāsye smaryate'sau viśeṣāt

Translation

എല്ലാ ഉപായങ്ങളാലും വിഷ്ണുവിനെയേ പ്രസന്നനാക്കണം; അവൻ ശ്രേഷ്ഠ യോഗികൾക്കും എല്ലാ വർണ്ണങ്ങളിലെ ജനങ്ങൾക്കും ധ്യാനത്തിന്റെ പരമ ലക്ഷ്യമാണ്. വിഷ്ണുനാമമാത്രം കൊണ്ടു ഭയങ്കരബന്ധത്തിൽ നിന്നു മോചനം ലഭിക്കുന്നു; ചാതുർമാസ്യത്തിൽ അവനെ പ്രത്യേക ഭക്തിയോടെ സ്മരിക്കണം.

Word by Word

• सर्व-उपायैः: by all means
• सर्व-उपायैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + उपाय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (सर्वे उपायाः)

• विष्णुः: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• एव: alone, indeed
• एव: Avadharana (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय

• प्रसाद्यः: to be propitiated
• प्रसाद्यः: Predicate complement (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र+सद् (धातु) + प्रसाद्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; यत्/ण्यत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम्; ‘प्रसादनीयः/प्रसाद्यः’ (to be propitiated/pleased)

• योगि-ध्येयः: to be meditated upon by yogis
• योगि-ध्येयः: Predicate complement (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: योगिन् (प्रातिपदिक) + ध्येय (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; ध्यै धातु, यत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (योगिनां ध्येयः)

• प्रवरैः: by the excellent (ones)
• प्रवरैः: Visheshana of implied agent (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रवर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• सर्व-वर्णैः: by all social classes
• सर्व-वर्णैः: Karana/Agent-instrument (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (सर्वे वर्णाः)

• विष्णोः: of Viṣṇu
• विष्णोः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• नाम्ना: by (his) name
• नाम्ना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• मुच्यते: is freed
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive), आत्मनेपदम्

• घोर-बन्धात्: from dreadful bondage
• घोर-बन्धात्: Apadana (Ablative/source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक) + बन्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (घोरः बन्धः)

• चातुर्मास्ये: in the Cāturmāsya period (four-month observance)
• चातुर्मास्ये: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्मास्य (प्रातिपदिक; चातुर् + मास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (चत्वारः मासाः यस्य तत्)

• स्मर्यते: is remembered
• स्मर्यते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive), आत्मनेपदम्

• असौ: he (that one)
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• विशेषात्: especially
• विशेषात्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययीभूतम् (ablatival adverb: ‘especially/particularly’)

Speaker

Brahmā (in Brahma–Nārada dialogue, per chapter context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nārada

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā instructs Nārada in a sacred grove near a Viṣṇu shrine; in the background, yogins meditate on Viṣṇu while householders chant His names; monsoon clouds indicate Cāturmāsya.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Cāturmāsya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Remembering and chanting Viṣṇu’s Name is presented as a direct means to break bondage, especially when supported by Cāturmāsya discipline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra māhātmya setting of the Nāgara Khaṇḍa (Tīrthamāhātmya section), though this particular line praises Viṣṇu and Cāturmāsya generally.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Special remembrance (smaraṇa) of Viṣṇu during Cāturmāsya, highlighting nāma-japa as a liberating practice.