Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

यदा निर्ममता देहे यदा चित्तं सुनिर्मलम् । यदा हरौ भक्तियोगस्तदा बन्धो न कर्मणा

Transliteration

yadā nirmamatā dehe yadā cittaṃ sunirmalam | yadā harau bhaktiyogastadā bandho na karmaṇā

Translation

جب بدن کے بارے میں بےملکیت (نِرممتا) ہو، جب چِت پوری طرح پاک ہو جائے، اور جب ہری کی بھکتی ہی یوگ بن جائے—تب عمل بندھن نہیں بنتا۔

Word by Word

• यदा: when
• यदा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: काल-अव्यय (relative temporal adverb: when)

• निर्ममता: non-possessiveness
• निर्ममता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निर्ममता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• देहे: in the body
• देहे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; Locative singular

• यदा: when
• यदा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: काल-अव्यय (when)

• चित्तम्: mind
• चित्तम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• सुनिर्मलम्: very pure
• सुनिर्मलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (अव्यय-उपसर्ग/उपपद) + निर्मल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular; अव्ययीभाव (सु + निर्मल) qualifying चित्तम्

• यदा: when
• यदा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: काल-अव्यय (when)

• हरौ: in/for Hari
• हरौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; Locative singular

• भक्तियोगः: the yoga of devotion
• भक्तियोगः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + योग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular; तत्पुरुष (भक्तेः योगः / भक्त्या योगः)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: काल-अव्यय (then)

• बन्धः: bondage
• बन्धः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बन्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• कर्मणा: by karma
• कर्मणा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; Instrumental singular (by/through karma)

Speaker

Īśvara (carried over from ‘Īśvara uvāca’ context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee performs daily work beside a sacred river; a translucent silhouette of the body is shown as ‘not-mine’ while the heart-lotus is clear and bright; Hari appears in the devotee’s inner sky, indicating bhakti-yoga that dissolves karmic chains.

Characters & Entities

• Hari (Viṣṇu)
• bhakti-yoga
• karma-bandha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity, detachment, and devotion to Hari transform karma into non-binding action.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is situated within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya frame of the Nāgara-khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is named; it prescribes inner disciplines—detachment, mental purity, and bhakti-yoga.