Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

विष्णुभक्तिं समासाद्य रमन्ते तु सुनिश्चिताः । संहृत्य शक्तितः कामं विषयेषु हि संस्थितम्

Transliteration

viṣṇubhaktiṃ samāsādya ramante tu suniścitāḥ | saṃhṛtya śaktitaḥ kāmaṃ viṣayeṣu hi saṃsthitam

Translation

വിഷ്ണുഭക്തി പ്രാപിച്ച ദൃഢനിശ്ചയികൾ ആനന്ദിക്കുന്നു; അവർ തങ്ങളുടെ ശേഷിയോളം വിഷയങ്ങളിൽ പതിഞ്ഞ കാമത്തെ പിൻവലിച്ച് സംയമിപ്പിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• विष्णु: Viṣṇu
• विष्णु: Samasa-anga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; समासाङ्ग

• भक्तिम्: devotion
• भक्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (Accusative sg.)

• विष्णुभक्तिम्: devotion to Viṣṇu
• विष्णुभक्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु + भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन; विष्णोः भक्तिः (genitive-tatpuruṣa)

• समासाद्य: having attained
• समासाद्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् + आ + सद् (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• रमन्ते: rejoice/delight
• रमन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present); आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (contrast/emphasis)

• सुनिश्चिताः: firmly resolved
• सुनिश्चिताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + निश्चित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचन (Nom. pl.)

• संहृत्य: having withdrawn/collected
• संहृत्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् + हृ (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• शक्तितः: according to ability
• शक्तितः: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb); ‘शक्त्या’ इत्यर्थे (according to one’s power)

• कामम्: desire
• कामम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (Accusative sg.)

• विषयेषु: in sense-objects
• विषयेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विषय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी बहुवचन (Locative pl.)

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis/causal particle)

• संस्थितम्: situated/placed
• संस्थितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (Acc. sg.); ‘कामम्’ इति विशेषणम्

Speaker

Varāha (deduced; Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ayodhyā-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Implied dvijottama/interlocutor in the Ayodhyā-māhātmya discourse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A group of resolute devotees in Ayodhyā: some chanting, some serving, some meditating by Sarayū; a symbolic scene of desire being ‘drawn back’—a deer-like kāma retreating from glittering sense-objects toward Viṣṇu’s shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True devotion expresses itself as joy grounded in self-restraint and withdrawal from sense-driven craving.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader Ayodhyā Māhātmya setting frames the teaching, though no single tīrtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A practical discipline is implied: restraining desire (kāma-nirodha) in proportion to one’s strength.