Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 65

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । तच्छ्रुत्वा सत्वरं गत्वा नैमिषं तीर्थमुत्तमम् । तपश्चक्रे ततस्तीव्रं ध्यायमानो महेश्वरम्

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | tacchrutvā satvaraṃ gatvā naimiṣaṃ tīrthamuttamam | tapaścakre tatastīvraṃ dhyāyamāno maheśvaram

Translation

สูตะกล่าวว่า: ครั้นได้ฟังดังนั้น เขารีบไปยังไนมิษะ ตีรถะอันประเสริฐยิ่ง แล้วบำเพ็ญตบะอันเข้มกล้า โดยเพ่งภาวนาต่อพระมหีศวร

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• तत्: that (it)
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; (कर्म-निर्देशार्थं)

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय-भावकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive)

• सत्वरम्: quickly
• सत्वरम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सत्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय-भावकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive)

• नैमिषम्: of Naimiṣa
• नैमिषम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नैमिष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• तीर्थम्: pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• उत्तमम्: excellent
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• चक्रे: performed
• चक्रे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः—सम्बन्ध/क्रमसूचक (then/thereafter)

• तीव्रम्: intense
• तीव्रम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीव्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तपः-विशेषण)

• ध्यायमानः: meditating
• ध्यायमानः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्यै (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान-कृदन्त (Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महेश्वरम्: Maheśvara (Śiva)
• महेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—महा + ईश्वर (षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-प्रायः; ‘महान् ईश्वरः’)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Naimiṣa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (Implied) sages in a tīrtha-assembly context

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A determined ascetic, having heard a command, hastens into the sacred Naimiṣa forest; beneath ancient trees and near a quiet waterbody, he sits in firm posture, eyes half-closed, meditating on Maheśvara.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Naimiṣa Tīrtha
• Maheśvara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right hearing (śravaṇa) should lead to swift practice: one should act on sacred instruction through pilgrimage and disciplined meditation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Naimiṣa Tīrtha, explicitly called “uttamam” (supreme).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Go to the tīrtha and perform intense tapas with dhyāna on Maheśvara (Śiva).