Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

कुर्वन्नेव हि कर्माणि ज्ञानी मुक्तिं प्रयाति हि । यदा हि गुरुभिः स्थानं ब्रह्मणः प्रतिपाद्यते

Transliteration

kurvanneva hi karmāṇi jñānī muktiṃ prayāti hi | yadā hi gurubhiḥ sthānaṃ brahmaṇaḥ pratipādyate

Translation

കർമ്മങ്ങൾ ചെയ്യുന്നതിനിടയിലും ജ്ഞാനി നിശ്ചയമായി മുക്തിയിലേക്കു പോകുന്നു; ഗുരുക്കന്മാർ ബ്രഹ്മത്തിന്റെ സ്ഥാനം/സ്ഥിതി യഥാവിധി പ്രതിപാദിച്ച് സ്ഥാപിക്കുമ്പോൾ.

Word by Word

• कुर्वन्: doing
• कुर्वन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Present active participle/शतृ), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; परस्मैपदी-प्रयोग

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphatic)

• हि: for/indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; causal/emphatic)

• कर्माणि: actions
• कर्माणि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• ज्ञानी: a knower (wise person)
• ज्ञानी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञानिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• मुक्तिम्: liberation
• मुक्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्रयाति: attains/goes to
• प्रयाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis)

• यदा: when
• यदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• गुरुभिः: by the teachers
• गुरुभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• स्थानम्: the place/state
• स्थानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• ब्रह्मणः: of Brahman
• ब्रह्मणः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• प्रतिपाद्यते: is taught/expounded
• प्रतिपाद्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-√पद् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya didactic narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-yogin performs simple service at a ghat (offering water, sweeping steps) while a guru points to a radiant inner 'Brahman-abode' symbolized by a lotus in the heart; action and contemplation shown together.

Characters & Entities

• Guru
• Brahman

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right knowledge received from a guru makes action non-binding, allowing liberation even amid duties.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No individual tirtha is named in this verse; it serves the Mahātmya’s liberation-instruction within sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Guru-upadeśa (receiving authoritative instruction) is implied; no specific snāna, dāna, or vrata is stated.