Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

गौतम उवाच । संतुष्टः केन चाल्योऽस्ति फलैरपि विवर्जितः । सर्वोपीन्द्रियलौल्येन संकटे भ्रमति द्विजाः

Transliteration

gautama uvāca | saṃtuṣṭaḥ kena cālyo'sti phalairapi vivarjitaḥ | sarvopīndriyalaulyena saṃkaṭe bhramati dvijāḥ

Translation

ଗୌତମ କହିଲେ—ଯେ ସନ୍ତୁଷ୍ଟ, ତାକୁ କିଏ ଚଳାଇପାରିବ, ଫଳ ନଥିଲେ ମଧ୍ୟ? କିନ୍ତୁ ହେ ଦ୍ୱିଜମାନେ, ଇନ୍ଦ୍ରିୟଲୋଲୁପତାରେ ସମସ୍ତେ ସଙ୍କଟରେ ଭ୍ରମଣ କରନ୍ତି।

Word by Word

• gautamaḥ: Gautama
• gautamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gautama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• saṃtuṣṭaḥ: content, satisfied
• saṃtuṣṭaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-√tuṣ (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying)

• kena: by what? / by whom?
• kena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• ālyaḥ: to be moved/shaken
• ālyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ālya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying)

• asti: is
• asti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• phalaiḥ: by fruits/results
• phalaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन (Plural)

• api: even/also
• api: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावन/अपि-कारक अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• vivarjitaḥ: devoid of, bereft
• vivarjitaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-√vṛj (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• sarvaḥ: everyone
• sarvaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनामसदृश (pronominal adjective used substantively)

• api: indeed/also
• api: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle)

• indriya-laulyena: by sense-restlessness/greed
• indriya-laulyena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: indriya (प्रातिपदिक) + laulya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (indriyāṇāṃ laulyaṃ = greediness of the senses)

• saṃkaṭe: in distress/difficulty
• saṃkaṭe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃkaṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• bhramati: wanders
• bhramati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhram (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• dvijāḥ: O twice-born (Brahmins)
• dvijāḥ: Sambodhana/Address (Vocative sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

Speaker

Gautama

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇas (dvijāḥ)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A forest-āśrama discourse: sage Gautama seated calmly, radiating composure; a group of brāhmaṇas listen while, in the background, figures chase sensory objects and stumble into thorny paths—symbolizing distress born of craving.

Characters & Entities

• Gautama
• dvija
• indriya-laulya
• santoṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Contentment makes a person unshakable, while sense-greed leads even the learned into anxiety and danger.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is identified in this verse; it offers general dharmic counsel within the Tīrthamāhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is mentioned; the implied discipline is indriya-nigraha (control of the senses).