Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

अहमेव सदा विष्णुरित्यात्मनि विचारयन् । लभते वैष्णवं देहं जीवन्मुक्तो द्विजो भवेत्

Transliteration

ahameva sadā viṣṇurityātmani vicārayan | labhate vaiṣṇavaṃ dehaṃ jīvanmukto dvijo bhavet

Translation

Размышляя в себе: «Я воистину всегда Вишну», он обретает вайшнавское тело; тот брахман становится освобожденным при жизни (дживанмукта).

Word by Word

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• एव: indeed/alone
• एव: Nipāta (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kālādhi karaṇa (Time adjunct/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• विष्णुः: Vishnu
• विष्णुः: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समानााधिकरण (अहम् इत्यस्य विधेय)

• इति: thus
• इति: Nipāta (Quotation marker/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: इत्यादि-उद्धरणार्थक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• आत्मनि: in oneself
• आत्मनि: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• विचारयन्: reflecting/considering
• विचारयन्: Karta (Agent as participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + चर् (धातु) + णिच् (विचारयति) + शतृ (विचारयन्)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि

• लभते: attains/obtains
• लभते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• वैष्णवम्: Vishnu-related, Vaishnava
• वैष्णवम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of object/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वैष्णव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; देहम् इति विशेषणम्

• देहम्: body
• देहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• जीवन्मुक्तः: liberated while living
• जीवन्मुक्तः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of subject/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जीवत् (कृदन्त) + मुक्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; द्विजः इति विशेषणम्

• द्विजः: a twice-born (Brahmin etc.)
• द्विजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• भवेत्: would become/should become
• भवेत्: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa pilgrim seated in meditation near a sacred waterbody, inner vision of Viṣṇu pervading his own heart; subtle aura suggesting ‘Vaiṣṇava body’ transformation.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• vaiṣṇava-deha
• jīvanmukti
• dvija

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The highest fruit of tīrtha-dharma is identity-realization rooted in devotion: seeing the Self as belonging to Viṣṇu culminates in jīvanmukti.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse emphasizes the culminating inner attainment within the chapter’s tīrtha context; it does not name a particular tīrtha in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An inner sādhana: constant self-reflection on the Viṣṇu-centered identity (‘I am always Viṣṇu’), resulting in Vaiṣṇava embodiment and living liberation.