Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

तस्मात्सर्वात्मभावेन दयाधर्मः सनातनः । सेव्यः स पुरुषैर्नित्यं चातुर्मास्ये विशेषतः

Transliteration

tasmātsarvātmabhāvena dayādharmaḥ sanātanaḥ | sevyaḥ sa puruṣairnityaṃ cāturmāsye viśeṣataḥ

Translation

Oleh itu, dengan segenap jiwa raga, dharma belas kasih yang sanātana (kekal) hendaklah dihormati dan diamalkan oleh manusia setiap masa—terutama sekali dalam Cāturmāsya.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: from that; therefore
• तस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुँलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन

• सर्वात्मभावेन: with wholeheartedness; with the feeling of being all-souled
• सर्वात्मभावेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व-आत्म-भाव (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुँलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सर्वस्य आत्मा इति/आत्मभावः)

• दयाधर्मः: the duty of compassion
• दयाधर्मः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दया-धर्म (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुँलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (दयायाः धर्मः)

• सनातनः: eternal
• सनातनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सनातन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुँलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (दयाधर्मस्य)

• सेव्यः: to be served; should be practiced
• सेव्यः: Karya/Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सेव् (धातु) + यत् (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: यत्-प्रत्ययान्तः कृत्य-प्रत्ययः (gerundive/obligatory), पुँलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम्

• सः: that (it); he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुँलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पुरुषैः: by men; by people
• पुरुषैः: Kartr-karana (Agent group/कर्तृ-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुँलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb)

• चातुर्मास्ये: in the Cāturmāsya period
• चातुर्मास्ये: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्मास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेषतस् (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb)

Speaker

Brahmā (inferred from chapter colophon context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nārada

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Monsoon-season vow scene: pilgrims remain in the kṣetra, performing gentle worship, feeding animals, offering lamps, and taking vows of compassion with solemn resolve.

Characters & Entities

• Cāturmāsya
• Dayā-dharma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Compassion is proclaimed as eternal dharma and is to be practiced wholeheartedly, with special emphasis in Cāturmāsya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya stream within Nāgara-khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A clear vrata directive: actively ‘serve’ (practice) dayā-dharma at all times, with heightened strictness during Cāturmāsya.