Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

एवं निनाय कालं स नित्यानुष्ठानतत्परः । तस्यैवं वर्तमानस्य तपश्चरत उत्तमम्

Transliteration

evaṃ nināya kālaṃ sa nityānuṣṭhānatatparaḥ | tasyaivaṃ vartamānasya tapaścarata uttamam

Translation

Demikianlah dia melalui waktunya, sepenuhnya tekun pada amalan harian; dan dengan hidup sedemikian, tapasnya menjadi amat unggul.

Word by Word

• evam: thus
• evam: Adverbial (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रकारवाचक) — ‘एवं प्रकारेण’

• nināya: spent/led (time)
• nināya: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni + √nī (नी धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदी; उपसर्गः ‘नि-’

• kālam: time
• kālam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• nitya-anuṣṭhāna-tat-paraḥ: devoted to daily observances
• nitya-anuṣṭhāna-tat-paraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक) + anuṣṭhāna (प्रातिपदिक) + tatpara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (‘नित्येषु अनुष्ठानेषु तत्परः’ = ‘नित्यकर्मनिष्ठः’)

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• evam: thus
• evam: Adverbial (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रकारवाचक)

• vartamānasya: of (him) living/acting
• vartamānasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vṛt (वृत् धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शानच्/आत्मनेपदी), षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘वर्तमान’ = ‘स्थित/आचरन्’

• tapaḥ: austerity
• tapaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• carataḥ: of (him) practicing
• carataḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √car (चर् धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ), षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘चरन्’ इत्यस्य षष्ठी—‘चरतोः/चरतः’ (of one practicing)

• uttamam: supreme, excellent
• uttamam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् ‘तपः’ (श्रेष्ठम्)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calm closing tableau: the practitioner seated near a steady sacred fire at twilight, with manuscripts and pūjā items neatly arranged; the passage of time is suggested by a subtle day-to-night gradient, conveying that disciplined routine has ripened into luminous tapas.

Characters & Entities

• tapas
• nityānuṣṭhāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Great austerity is not sudden—it ripens from consistent daily observances performed with unwavering intent.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setukṣetra, as a setting where disciplined routine naturally culminates in exalted tapas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The emphasis is on steadfast adherence to nitya-anuṣṭhāna (daily obligatory practices), rather than a single isolated rite.