Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

बृहस्पतिरुवाच । सामपूर्वं स्मृता नीतिश्चतुरंगामनीकिनीम् । जिगीषतां सुरश्रेष्ठ स्थितिरेषा सनातनी

Transliteration

bṛhaspatiruvāca | sāmapūrvaṃ smṛtā nītiścaturaṃgāmanīkinīm | jigīṣatāṃ suraśreṣṭha sthitireṣā sanātanī

Translation

พระพฤหัสบดีตรัสว่า “ข้าแต่เทวผู้ประเสริฐ ผู้ใฝ่ชัยชนะพึงระลึกนโยบายว่าเริ่มด้วย ‘สามะ’ คือการประนีประนอม ใช้ได้กับกองทัพสี่เหล่า นี่เป็นวิถีอันเป็นนิรันดร์และสืบมาแต่โบราณสำหรับผู้จะพิชิต”

Word by Word

• बृहस्पतिः: Bṛhaspati
• बृहस्पतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बृहस्पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• साम: conciliation (sāma)
• साम: Vishaya (Topic/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• पूर्वम्: first, beforehand
• पूर्वम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• स्मृता: is remembered/considered
• स्मृता: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) + त (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (नीतिः इति स्त्रीलिङ्गस्य विशेषणम्)

• नीतिः: policy, statecraft
• नीतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नीति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• चतुरङ्गामनीकिनीम्: (as) the fourfold-army (strategy)
• चतुरङ्गामनीकिनीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + अमनीकिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—चतुरङ्गा-अनीकिनी (four-limbed army) इति; नीतिम् विशेषयति

• जिगीषताम्: of those wishing to conquer
• जिगीषताम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जि (धातु) + गीष (इच्छार्थक) (कृत्/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: इच्छार्थक कृदन्त (desiderative sense) ‘जिगीषु’/‘जिगीषत्’ आधार; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• सुरश्रेष्ठ: O best of the gods
• सुरश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—सुराणां श्रेष्ठः

• स्थितिः: procedure, rule, standing principle
• स्थितिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थिति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• एषा: this
• एषा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम; स्थितिः इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• सनातनी: eternal, ancient
• सनातनी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सनातन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; स्थितिः इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Bṛhaspati

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Suraśreṣṭha (best among the gods; likely Indra or the deva leadership)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bṛhaspati, the guru of the Devas, instructs the ‘best of gods’ on the eternal sequence of policy—beginning with conciliation—amid a celestial council setting with banners of the fourfold army implied in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Bṛhaspati
• Indra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma favors restraint: begin with peaceful conciliation before escalating to harsher measures.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is praised; the passage teaches nīti (ethical strategy) within a Purāṇic dialogue.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it outlines principles of conduct in conflict.