Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

एतस्मिन्नंतरे नष्टा अग्निष्टोमादिकाः क्रियाः । तीर्थयात्राव्रतान्येव संयमा नियमाश्च ये

Transliteration

etasminnaṃtare naṣṭā agniṣṭomādikāḥ kriyāḥ | tīrthayātrāvratānyeva saṃyamā niyamāśca ye

Translation

ในระหว่างนั้น พิธีกรรมอย่างอัคนิษโฏมะและอื่น ๆ ก็เลือนหายไป เหลือเพียงการจาริกสู่ตีรถะและการถือวรต พร้อมทั้งสังยามะและนิยามะคือวินัยและข้อปฏิบัติ

Word by Word

• एतस्मिन्: in this
• एतस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7/सप्तमी), एकवचन; locative singular

• अन्तरे: in the interval, meanwhile
• अन्तरे: Adhikarana (Time/interval/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7/सप्तमी), एकवचन; locative singular

• नष्टाः: were lost, perished
• नष्टाः: Karta (Predicate participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle) ‘destroyed/lost’; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (agreeing with क्रियाः)

• अग्निष्टोमादिकाः: such as the Agniṣṭoma (rites)
• अग्निष्टोमादिकाः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अग्निष्टोम + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (अग्निष्टोम-आदि); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/प्रथमा), बहुवचन (क्रियाः इति विशेष्ये)

• क्रियाः: ritual acts, rites
• क्रियाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रिया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; nominative plural feminine

• तीर्थयात्राव्रतानि: pilgrimages and vows
• तीर्थयात्राव्रतानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थयात्रा + व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (तीर्थयात्रा च व्रतानि च); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; nominative plural neuter

• एव: only, indeed
• एव: Avadhāraṇa (Restriction/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (restrictive particle)

• संयमाः: restraints, self-control
• संयमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संयम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; nominative plural masculine

• नियमाः: observances, rules
• नियमाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नियम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; nominative plural masculine

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय

• ये: which
• ये: Sambandha (Relative connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; relative pronoun nominative plural masculine (referring to saṃyamāḥ/niyamāḥ)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual third-person narration within the dialogue)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: एक ओर यज्ञशाला सूनी/अग्नि-शान्त; दूसरी ओर तीर्थयात्री व्रत-धारी, दण्ड/कमण्डलु सहित, संयमित मुद्रा में तीर्थ-मार्ग पर।

Characters & Entities

• Agniṣṭoma
• tīrthayātrā
• vrata
• saṃyama
• niyama

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When elaborate sacrificial systems decline, tīrtha-pilgrimage, vows, and disciplined living remain as accessible pillars of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage supports the broader tīrtha framework of the chapter, reinforcing pilgrimage as the surviving dharma in that era.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Emphasis on tīrtha-yātrā, vrata, and the ethical-spiritual regimen of saṃyama and niyama.