Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

अहं शिक्षापणार्थाय तव प्राप्तो विभीषण । तस्मादव्यग्रचित्तेन संशृणुष्व कुरुष्व च

Transliteration

ahaṃ śikṣāpaṇārthāya tava prāpto vibhīṣaṇa | tasmādavyagracittena saṃśṛṇuṣva kuruṣva ca

Translation

พิเภกเอ๋ย เรามาหาเจ้าเพื่อประทานคำสั่งสอน; เพราะฉะนั้นจงฟังให้ดีด้วยจิตไม่ฟุ้งซ่าน และจงปฏิบัติตามนั้นเถิด

Word by Word

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, एकवचनम् = "I"

• śikṣāpaṇa-arthāya: for the purpose of instruction
• śikṣāpaṇa-arthāya: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śikṣā+āpaṇa+artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, चतुर्थी (सम्प्रदान/प्रयोजन), एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (शिक्षायाः आपणः/विनिमयः इव—शिक्षा-प्रदान-हेतुः) = "for the purpose of instruction"

• tava: your, of you
• tava: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचनम् = "of you/your"

• prāptaḥ: have arrived
• prāptaḥ: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra+āp (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्तः, पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; कर्तरि प्रयोगः = "having come/arrived" (as predicate of aham)

• vibhīṣaṇa: O Vibhīṣaṇa
• vibhīṣaṇa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vibhīṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम् = "O Vibhīṣaṇa"

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-निपातः (अपादानार्थकः) = indeclinable "therefore/from that"

• avyagra-cittena: with an undistracted mind
• avyagra-cittena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a+vyagra+citta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, तृतीया, एकवचनम्; कर्मधारयः (अव्यग्रं चित्तं यस्य/अव्यग्रचित्तः) = "with an undistracted mind"

• saṃśṛṇuṣva: listen attentively
• saṃśṛṇuṣva: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: saṃ+śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थः), मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्, आत्मनेपदम् = "listen carefully"

• kuruṣva: do, perform
• kuruṣva: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लोट्, मध्यमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्, आत्मनेपदम् = "do (it)"

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयः) = "and"

Speaker

Rāma (implied, addressing Vibhīṣaṇa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Teacherly moment: Rāma addresses Vibhīṣaṇa directly, emphasizing instruction; Vibhīṣaṇa adopts attentive posture, hands folded, eyes fixed on speaker.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Vibhīṣaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is preserved through attentive listening to wise counsel and disciplined execution.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha-name appears in the verse; it functions as ethical instruction within a tīrtha-māhātmya chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The prescription is ethical rather than ritual: focused listening and proper conduct.