Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 172

Devanagari script

अज्ञानाद्यदिवा ज्ञानान्मया यद्व्याहृतं वचः । तत्तथैव न संदेहस्तस्मान्मौनं गुरो कुरु

Transliteration

ajñānādyadivā jñānānmayā yadvyāhṛtaṃ vacaḥ | tattathaiva na saṃdehastasmānmaunaṃ guro kuru

Translation

അജ്ഞാനത്താലോ ജ്ഞാനത്താലോ ഞാൻ ഉച്ചരിച്ച വാക്കുകൾ അതുപോലെ തന്നെയെ സത്യം; ഇതിൽ സംശയമില്ല. അതിനാൽ, ഗുരോ, മൗനം പാലിക്കൂ।

Word by Word

• अज्ञानात्: from ignorance, out of ignorance
• अज्ञानात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th); एकवचन

• यद्: whatever
• यद्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.); एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• इव: as if, as it were
• इव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमासूचक (particle of comparison/like, as if)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (disjunctive/or)

• ज्ञानात्: from knowledge, knowingly
• ज्ञानात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th); एकवचन

• मया: by me
• मया: Kartr (Agent in passive sense/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम; तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd); एकवचन

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• व्याहृतम्: uttered, spoken out
• व्याहृतम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + आ + हृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण

• वचः: speech, words
• वचः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st); एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन; संकेत (correlative pronoun)

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (manner: thus)

• एव: indeed, exactly
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक (emphatic/indeed)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation)

• संदेहः: doubt
• संदेहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संदेह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• तस्मात्: therefore, from that
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th); एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (therefore)

• मौनम्: silence
• मौनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मौन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• गुरो: of the guru / O guru
• गुरो: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th); एकवचन; संबोधनार्थे अपि (used as address 'O guru')

• कुरु: do, make, observe
• कुरु: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative); मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Śiṣya (disciple, speaking to his guru)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The disciple speaks forcefully yet formally, palms still joined; the guru listens, composed, with a slight raised hand suggesting restraint or impending reply.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Speech should be restrained; when truth is asserted, the disciple urges non-contention and the discipline of silence (mauna).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya setting; the specific tīrtha is not named in this single shloka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Mauna (observing silence) is advised as a discipline rather than a formal rite like snāna or dāna.