Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

अगोत्रं वरणं वापि ब्रह्मांडशतकारणम् । निरीहं निर्ममं बुद्धिशून्यरूपं च निर्मलम्

Transliteration

agotraṃ varaṇaṃ vāpi brahmāṃḍaśatakāraṇam | nirīhaṃ nirmamaṃ buddhiśūnyarūpaṃ ca nirmalam

Translation

അത് ഗോത്രരഹിതം, വർഗ്ഗീകരണവും സാമൂഹിക ‘ആവരണ’വും അതീതം; അനേകം ബ്രഹ്മാണ്ഡങ്ങളുടെ കാരണമാകുന്നു. അത് നിരീഹം, നിർമ്മമം, ബുദ്ധിക്ക് അതീതമായ രൂപമുള്ളത്, പരമ നിർമ്മലം.

Word by Word

• अगोत्रम्: without lineage/clan
• अगोत्रम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ (निषेध) + गोत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter nom/acc sg; adjective)

• वरणम्: choice; covering/warding (context-dependent)
• वरणम्: Karma/Viśeṣya (Object/Qualified term)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; नाम (neuter nom/acc sg)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक-निपात (indeclinable; ‘or’)

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अप्यर्थक-निपात (indeclinable; ‘also/even’)

• ब्रह्माण्डशतकारणम्: cause of hundreds of cosmic eggs (universes)
• ब्रह्माण्डशतकारणम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्माण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + शत (प्रातिपदिक) + कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-प्राय तत्पुरुष (neuter nom/acc sg; adjective)

• निरीहम्: effortless, without striving
• निरीहम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निः (उपसर्ग) + ईह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter nom/acc sg; adjective)

• निर्ममम्: without possessiveness (‘mine-ness’)
• निर्ममम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निः (उपसर्ग) + मम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter nom/acc sg; adjective)

• बुद्धिशून्यरूपम्: having a form devoid of intellect (buddhi)
• बुद्धिशून्यरूपम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक) + शून्य (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष, विशेषण (neuter nom/acc sg; adjective)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (indeclinable; ‘and’)

• निर्मलम्: spotless, pure
• निर्मलम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निः (उपसर्ग) + मल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter nom/acc sg; adjective)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim crowd of varied social backgrounds dissolves into a single field of purity before an immense cosmic-causal radiance; the cosmos appears as many egg-like universes emerging from a stainless source.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmāṇḍa (cosmic egg)
• Nirmala (purity)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Supreme is beyond worldly identity and categorization, the cosmic cause itself, and is realized through purity and detachment from desire and possessiveness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse does not name a tīrtha; it supports the broader māhātmya discourse with metaphysical definition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated; the implied discipline is vairāgya—freedom from desire (nirīhatā) and possessiveness (nirmamatā).