Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

वरं वरय चास्माकं तस्मादद्य भविष्यति । हृतत्स्थितं दुर्लभं भूप सर्वेषामिह देहिनाम्

Transliteration

varaṃ varaya cāsmākaṃ tasmādadya bhaviṣyati | hṛtatsthitaṃ durlabhaṃ bhūpa sarveṣāmiha dehinām

Translation

“จงเลือกพรจากเราเถิด เพราะฉะนั้นวันนี้จักประทานให้ ข้าแต่พระราชา สำหรับสัตว์ผู้มีร่างกายในโลกนี้ การรักษาดวงใจให้มั่นคงไม่หวั่นไหวเป็นสิ่งยากยิ่ง”

Word by Word

• वरम्: a boon
• वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• वरय: choose; ask (for)
• वरय: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

• अस्माकम्: of us; our
• अस्माकम्: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन

• तस्मात्: therefore; from that
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; तस्मात् = ‘therefore’

• अद्य: today; now
• अद्य: Kala-adhikarana (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• भविष्यति: will be; will happen
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• हृतत्स्थितम्: taken away and kept/held
• हृतत्स्थितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हृत + स्थित (हृ-धातु क्त + स्था-धातु क्त; कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-भावः: हृतं च तत् स्थितम्)

• दुर्लभम्: hard to obtain
• दुर्लभम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भूप: O king
• भूप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन

• इह: here
• इह: Desha-adhikarana (Place/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• देहिनाम्: of embodied beings
• देहिनाम्: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन

Speaker

Śanaiścara (implied, speaking to the king before 'rājovāca')

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A celestial benefactor offers a boon, praising the king’s rare steadiness of heart; the scene centers on calm faces, controlled emotion, and the gravity of granting a vara.

Characters & Entities

• Śanaiścara
• Bhūpa (the king)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Inner steadiness (a firm heart) is rare and therefore a true spiritual attainment; divine grace supports it.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within the Tīrthamāhātmya framework of Nāgara Khaṇḍa, but this line itself emphasizes moral teaching rather than naming a specific tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly in this verse; it introduces the granting of a boon that leads into later śānti and dāna instructions.