Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

आ भूतसंक्षयं यावत्स्वर्गलोके महीयते । संसाख्यसनं हातुं पुरा प्रोक्तं तु नन्दिना

Transliteration

ā bhūtasaṃkṣayaṃ yāvatsvargaloke mahīyate | saṃsākhyasanaṃ hātuṃ purā proktaṃ tu nandinā

Translation

உயிர்களின் சிதைவு (பிரளயம்) வரையில் அவன் ஸ்வர்கலோகத்தில் போற்றப்படுவான். ‘ஸம்ஸாக்யாஸனம்’—சம்ஸாரப் பந்தத்தை விடும் ஒழுக்கம்—முன்னர் நந்தி உபதேசித்தது.

Word by Word

• आ: up to, until
• आ: Avadhi (Limit/अवधि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपसर्गसदृश/पर्यन्तबोधक; ‘up to’)

• भूतसंक्षयम्: the destruction/end of beings
• भूतसंक्षयम्: Avadhi (Limit/अवधि)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत + संक्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (भूतानां संक्षयः); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; अव्यय ‘आ’ इत्यस्य योगे पर्यन्तार्थे

• यावत्: as long as, until
• यावत्: Avadhi (Limit/अवधि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय/संबन्ध)
• Form: अव्यय (परिमाण/काल-पर्यन्तबोधक; correl. with ā)

• स्वर्गलोके: in heaven-world
• स्वर्गलोके: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (स्वर्गस्य लोके); पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• महीयते: is honored, is exalted
• महीयते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि/भावे ‘is honored/glorified’

• संसाख्यसनम्: the Sāṅkhya-seat/posture (a discipline)
• संसाख्यसनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम् + साङ्ख्य + असन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (साङ्ख्यस्य असनम्/साङ्ख्यासनम्; पाठभेद सम्भव: संसाख्यासनम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• हातुम्: to abandon
• हातुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हा (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्यय (infinitive), ‘to abandon/give up’

• पुरा: formerly, earlier
• पुरा: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक; ‘formerly/earlier’)

• प्रोक्तम्: was declared
• प्रोक्तम्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle) from √वच् with प्र-; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘was said/declared’

• तु: indeed, but
• तु: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle/सम्बन्धसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात; emphasis/contrast)

• नन्दिना: by Nandin
• नन्दिना: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nandin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

Speaker

Nandī (self-reference; deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā Khaṇḍa (general)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sādhakas/ṛṣis (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nandī, the divine bull and Śiva’s attendant, instructs sages seated on a ‘reckoning-seat’—a simple kuśa āsana—teaching a methodical discipline for abandoning worldly entanglement; above, svarga imagery suggests lasting honor.

Characters & Entities

• Nandī
• Svarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A prescribed discipline taught by Nandī yields enduring heavenly honor; structured inner practice is praised alongside tīrtha merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate verse is more doctrinal, but it belongs to the Revā Khaṇḍa framework centered on the Narmadā sacred region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The practice termed saṃsākhyāsana is referenced as something taught by Nandī, oriented toward giving up (hātum) worldly entanglement.