Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन तत्तीर्थवरमाश्रयेत् । य इच्छेच्छाश्वतं स्वर्गं सदैव मनुजो द्विजाः

Transliteration

tasmātsarvaprayatnena tattīrthavaramāśrayet | ya icchecchāśvataṃ svargaṃ sadaiva manujo dvijāḥ

Translation

پس ہر طرح کی کوشش سے اُس برتر تیرتھ کا سہارا لینا چاہیے؛ اے دِوِج برہمنو! جو انسان دائمی سُورگ کی آرزو رکھتا ہو۔

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी, एकवचन; ablative singular ‘therefore/from that’

• सर्व-प्रयत्नेन: with all effort
• सर्व-प्रयत्नेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुषः; ‘सर्वः प्रयत्नः’), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; instrumental singular ‘with all effort’

• तत्-तीर्थ-वरम्: that excellent sacred ford
• तत्-तीर्थ-वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (कर्मधारयः; ‘तत् तीर्थं वरं’ = that excellent tīrtha), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; accusative singular neuter

• आश्रयेत्: should resort to
• आश्रयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ√श्रि (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• इच्छेत्: should desire
• इच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √इष् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• शाश्वतम्: eternal
• शाश्वतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शाश्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; adjective agreeing with स्वर्गम्

• स्वर्गम्: heaven
• स्वर्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• मनुजः: a man
• मनुजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; nominative singular masculine

• द्विजाः: O twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; vocative/ nominative plural form; here संबोधन (address)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Māhātmya narrative style within Skanda Purāṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tīrtha-vara (unnamed in excerpt)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijāḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher-figure addresses assembled brāhmaṇas, pointing toward a shining tīrtha in the distance; pilgrims prepare with staffs and waterpots, symbolizing determined effort toward svarga.

Characters & Entities

• Dvijas (twice-born)
• Svarga
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma encourages deliberate pilgrimage: sustained effort toward sacred places is itself a spiritual discipline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘excellent tīrtha’ described in this chapter—centered on Śūdrakeśvara in the Gaṅgā–Yamunā region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A general injunction: āśraya (resort to/visit and stay at) the tīrtha with full effort, implying observance of its rites.