Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

नियतो नियताहारो ब्रह्मचर्यपरायणः । गायत्रं न्यासमासाद्य निर्विकल्पेन चेतसा

Transliteration

niyato niyatāhāro brahmacaryaparāyaṇaḥ | gāyatraṃ nyāsamāsādya nirvikalpena cetasā

Translation

ท่านมีวินัย เคร่งครัดในอาหาร มุ่งมั่นในพรหมจรรย์; ครั้นกระทำคายตรี-นยาสแล้ว ก็ทรงดำรงจิตนิรวิกัลปะอันไม่หวั่นไหว

Word by Word

• niyataḥ: disciplined
• niyataḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niyata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण—‘restrained/regulated’

• niyatāhāraḥ: having regulated diet
• niyatāhāraḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niyata (प्रातिपदिक) + āhāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कर्मधारय-प्राय): नियतः आहारः यस्य; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• brahmacarya-parāyaṇaḥ: devoted to celibacy
• brahmacarya-parāyaṇaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: brahmacarya (प्रातिपदिक) + parāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: ब्रह्मचर्ये परायणः; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• gāyatram: the Gāyatra (Gāyatrī-related)
• gāyatram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gāyatra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (गायत्री-सम्बद्धं मन्त्र/न्यास)

• nyāsam: ritual placement (nyāsa)
• nyāsam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nyāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• āsādya: having undertaken; having resorted to
• āsādya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√sad (धातु) + lyap (कृत्)
• Form: ल्यबन्त (gerund): ‘having approached/undertaken’

• nirvikalpena: with undistracted; unwavering
• nirvikalpena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nir-vikalpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक/पुं (here: नपुंसक-भावे), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; विशेषण—‘without doubt/without alternatives’

• cetasā: with mind
• cetasā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cetas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Tīrthamāhātmya; specific speaker not explicit in the snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A disciplined brāhmaṇa seated on kuśa grass, performing nyāsa with hand gestures (kara-nyāsa/aṅga-nyāsa), a water pot and rosary nearby; serene face indicating nirvikalpa focus.

Characters & Entities

• Gāyatrī
• nyāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mantra practice bears fruit when supported by discipline, regulated living, brahmacarya, and steady, undistracted awareness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The practice is performed in the same sacred kṣetra of this adhyāya—Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Gāyatrī-nyāsa, along with niyama (discipline), niyatāhāra (regulated diet), and brahmacarya.