Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 91

Devanagari script

नकुल उवाच । वृथेदं भाषितं तुभ्यं सर्वलोकेन यत्समम् । आत्मानं मन्यसे नैतद्वक्तुं योग्यं महात्मनाम्

Transliteration

nakula uvāca | vṛthedaṃ bhāṣitaṃ tubhyaṃ sarvalokena yatsamam | ātmānaṃ manyase naitadvaktuṃ yogyaṃ mahātmanām

Translation

నకులుడు అన్నాడు—నీ మాట వ్యర్థం; అది లోకమంతటా సామాన్యుల మాటలతో సమానం. నీవు నిన్ను మహత్తుగా భావిస్తే, మహాత్ములకు ఇలాంటి మాటలు తగవు.

Word by Word

• nakulaḥ: Nakula
• nakulaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nakula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; वक्ता (speaker)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• vṛthā: in vain
• vṛthā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vṛthā (अव्यय)
• Form: व्यर्थार्थक-अव्यय (adverb: in vain)

• idam: this
• idam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; अत्र कर्मवत् (this)

• bhāṣitam: spoken
• bhāṣitam: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhāṣ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विधेय (what is spoken)

• tubhyam: to you
• tubhyam: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuṣmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, मध्यमपुरुष, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन; सम्प्रदान

• sarva-lokena: by the whole world
• sarva-lokena: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; करण (agent/instrument: 'by all the world')

• yat: which
• yat: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (relative: which)

• samam: the same/equivalent
• samam: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणं (equal/same)

• ātmānam: yourself
• ātmānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म

• manyase: you think/consider
• manyase: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: man (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

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

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विषय

• vaktum: to say
• vaktum: Prayojana (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive); प्रयोजन

• yogyam: proper/fit
• yogyam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yogya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (fit/proper)

• mahātmanām: of great souls
• mahātmanām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive: 'of great-souled persons')

Speaker

Nakula

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nakula, poised and stern, addresses a speaker with a raised hand of admonition; onlookers in an assembly; the corrected person appears chastened.

Characters & Entities

• Nakula
• Mahātmā (great-souled persons)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A noble person should not speak like the crowd; dharmic speech must be purposeful, restrained, and worthy of a mahātman.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse; the focus is on dharma and speech-ethics within the narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse gives a moral instruction about appropriate speech and character.