Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 61

Devanagari script

निसर्गचपलां प्राप्य भ्रमरीमिव तां श्रियम् । नैवालमभवं तस्या धारणे दैवयोगतः

Transliteration

nisargacapalāṃ prāpya bhramarīmiva tāṃ śriyam | naivālamabhavaṃ tasyā dhāraṇe daivayogataḥ

Translation

فطرتاً چنچل، بھنورے کی طرح بھٹکتی ہوئی اُس دولت کو پا کر بھی، تقدیر کے بندھن کے سبب میں اسے سنبھال نہ سکا۔

Word by Word

• nisargacapalām: naturally fickle
• nisargacapalām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nisarga + capalā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष: निसर्गेण चपला; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘श्रियम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• prāpya: having obtained
• prāpya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pra + āp (आप्—प्राप्तौ धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund): प्राप्य = having obtained

• bhramarīm: a female bee
• bhramarīm: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhramarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; उपमान (simile term)

• iva: like
• iva: Upama-dyotaka (Simile marker/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (simile particle): इव (like/as)

• tām: that
• tām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘श्रियम्’ इत्यस्य निर्देशक

• śriyam: fortune/prosperity
• śriyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (negation): न (not)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (emphasis): एव (indeed)

• alam: able/sufficient
• alam: Prayojana (Capability/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: alam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (sufficiency particle): अलम् (enough/able)

• abhavam: I was/became
• abhavam: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (भू—सत्तायाम् धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), परस्मैपद; उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘अभवम्’ = I became/was

• tasyāḥ: of it/of her
• tasyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• dhāraṇe: in retaining (it)
• dhāraṇe: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; ‘धारणे’ = in holding/retaining

• daivayogataḥ: due to fate/by divine dispensation
• daivayogataḥ: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: daiva + yogatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-आधारित अव्यय: दैवेन योगः यस्मात्; पञ्चमी-अर्थे अव्यय (ablatival adverb): ‘दैवयोगतः’ = due to fate/divine conjunction

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Fortune personified as a shimmering presence flits away like a bee; the narrator reaches but cannot hold it, while a calm Śiva-symbol in the background suggests the stable refuge.

Characters & Entities

• Śrī (Lakṣmī/fortune)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Prosperity is unstable; one should not cling to it, but align life with dharma and humility.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned in this verse; it is a moral reflection on wealth and fate.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse implies inner renunciation rather than a stated ritual.