Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

तदेव हि परं ज्ञानं कामो येन प्रजायते । महत्तपस्तदेवाहुश्चातुमास्ये फलोत्तमम्

Transliteration

tadeva hi paraṃ jñānaṃ kāmo yena prajāyate | mahattapastadevāhuścātumāsye phalottamam

Translation

Itulah sesungguhnya pengetahuan tertinggi, yang dengannya nafsu keinginan lahir dan difahami hingga ke akar. Itulah sahaja, kata para bijaksana, tapa yang agung, berbuah paling utama dalam musim Cāturmāsya.

Word by Word

• tat: that
• tat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• hi: indeed, for
• hi: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतुवाचक/निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (particle: for/indeed)

• param: supreme
• param: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (पर-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विशेषण

• jñānam: knowledge
• jñānam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna (ज्ञान-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• kāmaḥ: desire
• kāmaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (काम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• yena: by which
• yena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद्-सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम

• prajāyate: arises, is born
• prajāyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√jan (प्र + √जन्, धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; भावे/कर्तरि प्रयोग (is born/arises)

• mahat: great
• mahat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (महत्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विशेषण

• tapaḥ: austerity
• tapaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (तपस्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• āhuḥ: they say
• āhuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ah (अह्/ब्रू, धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• cātumāsye: in the Cāturmāsya (four-month observance)
• cātumāsye: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cāturmāsya (चातुर्मास्य-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• phala-uttamam: the सर्वोत्तम fruit/best result
• phala-uttamam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (फल-प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (उत्तम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (uttamaṃ phalam)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya didactic context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A meditating ascetic watches a subtle chain: sense-object → thought → desire, depicted as translucent links dissolving into light; monsoon clouds mark Cāturmāsya, and a radiant fruit/lotus symbolizes ‘phalottama’.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Know the causal roots of desire and discipline them; such insight itself becomes great tapas, ripening especially in Cāturmāsya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is specified; the verse highlights the season (Cāturmāsya) as a sacred time that amplifies spiritual results.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Practice ‘great tapas’ during Cāturmāsya—understood as disciplined living supported by self-knowledge and restraint.