Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

नान्यस्य कर्मणः शक्तिर्विद्यते ते नखायुध । पूजादिकस्य हीनत्वाद्धस्ताभ्यामिति मे मतिः

Transliteration

nānyasya karmaṇaḥ śaktirvidyate te nakhāyudha | pūjādikasya hīnatvāddhastābhyāmiti me matiḥ

Translation

О вооружённый когтями, у тебя нет силы для иных обрядов. Поскольку тебе недостаёт средств для пуджи и прочего, по моему мнению, тебе подходит лишь преданность твоими «двумя руками» — простые действия, как прадакшина и поклон.

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• anyasya: of any other
• anyasya: Sambandha (Of another/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन (Genitive, Singular)

• karmaṇaḥ: of (any) act/rite
• karmaṇaḥ: Sambandha (Of an act/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन (Neuter, Genitive, Singular)

• śaktiḥ: ability/power
• śaktiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• vidyate: exists/is found
• vidyate: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vid (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (3rd person, Singular); भावे प्रयोग (exists/is found)

• te: for you / O you
• te: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी (सम्प्रदान) / षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; अत्र सम्बोधन-संबन्धे 'O you' (to you/of you)

• nakhāyudha: O one whose weapon is claws
• nakhāyudha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nakha (प्रातिपदिक) + āyudha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नखाः आयुधं यस्य)

• pūjā-ādeḥ: of worship and the like
• pūjā-ādeḥ: Sambandha (Of worship etc./सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūjā (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन (Masculine, Genitive, Singular); समाहारार्थे तत्पुरुषः (पूजा-आदि)

• hīnatvāt: because of lack/deficiency
• hīnatvāt: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hīnatva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (हेतु/अपादान), एकवचन (Neuter, Ablative, Singular)

• hastābhyām: with (both) hands
• hastābhyām: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), द्विवचन (Masculine, Instrumental, Dual)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: इति-कारक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• me: my
• me: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन (Pronoun, Genitive, Singular)

• matiḥ: opinion/view
• matiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

Speaker

Nandinī (deduced: continues her instruction)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bāṇa-pratiṣṭhita Mahāliṅga (forest shrine)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Tiger (addressed as nakhāyudha)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nandinī gently explains to the claw-weaponed tiger that elaborate rites are beyond him; therefore, simple bodily devotion—circumambulation and bowing—is the fitting path.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma and devotion are accessible: when elaborate ritual is impossible, sincere simple acts remain effective.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The same great forest Liṅga (Bāṇa-pratiṣṭhita) is implied as the locus of these simplified devotional acts.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It prioritizes simple bodily devotion (like circumambulation and bowing) over elaborate pūjā when one lacks the means.