Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

गरुड उवाच । नैतच्चित्रं तपो यच्च क्रियते सुमहत्तरम् । यथा च दीयते दानं यच्च तत्रास्ति चाद्भुतम् । तथा च क्रियते युद्धं संग्रामे युद्धशालिभिः

Transliteration

garuḍa uvāca | naitaccitraṃ tapo yacca kriyate sumahattaram | yathā ca dīyate dānaṃ yacca tatrāsti cādbhutam | tathā ca kriyate yuddhaṃ saṃgrāme yuddhaśālibhiḥ

Translation

ครุฑกล่าวว่า: “มิใช่เรื่องน่าอัศจรรย์ที่มีการบำเพ็ญตบะอันยิ่งใหญ่ และมิใช่เรื่องน่าพิศวงที่มีการให้ทาน แม้จะน่าอัศจรรย์เพียงใดก็ตาม ฉันใด ในสมรภูมิ ผู้ชำนาญศึกก็ย่อมทำสงครามฉันนั้น”

Word by Word

• गरुडः: Garuḍa
• गरुडः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गरुड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विशेषण-प्रयोग

• चित्रम्: wonderful/strange
• चित्रम्: Pradhana-visheshana (Predicate adjective/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction)

• क्रियते: is done/performed
• क्रियते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• सुमहत्तरम्: very great/greater
• सुमहत्तरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु- (उपसर्ग) + महत्तर (प्रातिपदिक; महत्-तुल्यतर)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अतिशय-तुलनात्मक (comparative/intensive)

• यथा: as; in the manner that
• यथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb: 'as/how')

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction)

• दीयते: is given
• दीयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• दानम्: gift; charity
• दानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction)

• तत्र: there; in that matter
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (locative adverb)

• अस्ति: is/exists
• अस्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction)

• अद्भुतम्: marvelous
• अद्भुतम्: Pradhana-visheshana (Predicate adjective/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अद्भुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण

• तथा: thus; likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb: 'thus/so')

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction)

• क्रियते: is done/performed
• क्रियते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• युद्धम्: battle; fighting
• युद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• संग्रामे: in battle; in war
• संग्रामे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• युद्धशालिभिः: by those skilled in fighting
• युद्धशालिभिः: Karana (Instrument/Agentive means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध-शालिन् (प्रातिपदिक: युद्ध + शालिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; 'युद्धे शालिनः' (skilled/possessing in battle)

Speaker

Garuḍa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Puruṣottama (epithet used in the passage; likely Viṣṇu as interlocutor in this dialogue frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Garuḍa speaks in a didactic tone, enumerating tapas, dāna, and battlefield valor as unsurprising human excellences, setting up a moral comparison.

Characters & Entities

• Garuḍa
• Vāsudeva (Viṣṇu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Great deeds (tapas, dāna, valor) can be natural to the truly capable; the deeper wonder lies in rarer inner mastery.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it is a moral reflection within a tīrtha-centered chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna (charitable giving) is referenced generally, without a specific item, time, or procedure.