Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । अशक्तो नियमं कर्तुं सुकुमारो भवेत्तु यः । तेन तत्र प्रकर्तव्यं विख्यातं भीष्मपंचकम्

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | aśakto niyamaṃ kartuṃ sukumāro bhavettu yaḥ | tena tatra prakartavyaṃ vikhyātaṃ bhīṣmapaṃcakam

Translation

سوت نے کہا: جو شخص پورا نیَم انجام دینے سے عاجز ہو، یا جس کا بدن نازک ہو، وہ وہاں مشہور پانچ روزہ ورت، جسے ‘بھیشم پنچک’ کہا جاتا ہے، ادا کرے۔

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta
• sūtaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (Nominative singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• aśaktaḥ: unable
• aśaktaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-śakta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (Nominative singular)

• niyamam: a rule/observance
• niyamam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niyama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (Accusative singular)

• kartum: to perform
• kartum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + tumun (कृदन्त)
• Form: तुमुनन्तम् (infinitive), कर्तुम् (to do)

• sukumāraḥ: delicate; tender
• sukumāraḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su-kumāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (Nominative singular)

• bhavet: should be
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• tu: but; indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अन्वय-निपातः (but/indeed)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (Nominative singular)

• tena: by that; therefore
• tena: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (Instrumental singular)

• tatra: there; in that case
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्ययम् (locative adverb)

• prakartavyam: should be performed
• prakartavyam: Kriya (Obligation predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-kṛ (धातु) + tavya (कृदन्त)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्तः (gerundive/obligatory), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (to be done)

• vikhyātam: well-known
• vikhyātam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-khyā (धातु) + ta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; भीष्मपंचकम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• bhīṣmapaṃcakam: the Bhīṣma-pañcaka (five-day observance)
• bhīṣmapaṃcakam: Karma (That to be done/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhīṣma-paṃcaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (Nom/Acc singular)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: assembled sages/pilgrims

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta, as narrator, formally announces the remedy: the renowned Bhīṣma-pañcaka, a five-day vow, to be performed there by the delicate-bodied or those unable to keep full rules.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Bhīṣma-pañcaka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is compassionate: when strict vows are difficult, a recognized shorter vrata may be adopted with sincerity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within Tīrtha-māhātmya context but does not name a specific tīrtha in this line; it frames practice “there” within the chapter’s sacred setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform the famed Bhīṣma-pañcaka—an alternative five-day observance for those unable to keep stricter niyamas.