Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 120

Devanagari script

मातुः स्तन्यं पुनर्नैव स पिबेन्मुक्तिभाग्भवेत् । ततो रुद्रो नीलकण्ठो नारदाय महात्मने

Transliteration

mātuḥ stanyaṃ punarnaiva sa pibenmuktibhāgbhavet | tato rudro nīlakaṇṭho nāradāya mahātmane

Translation

彼将不复再饮母乳，并得分于解脱（mokṣa）。于是，蓝喉主尼罗迦ṇṭha（Nīlakaṇṭha）之鲁陀罗，对大心者那罗陀开示而言。

Word by Word

• मातुः: of (his) mother
• मातुः: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन — genitive singular

• स्तन्यम्: breast-milk
• स्तन्यम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्तन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — accusative singular

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshana (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — again

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध-निपात) — negation

• एव: indeed/at all
• एव: Avadharana (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अवधारण-निपात) — indeed/just

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — pronoun, nominative singular

• पिबेत्: should drink
• पिबेत्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — should drink

• मुक्तिभाक्: a sharer in liberation
• मुक्तिभाक्: Karta (Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुक्ति + भाज् (प्रातिपदिक-निर्माण) → मुक्तिभाज्/मुक्तिभाक्
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — nominative singular; समास: मुक्ति+भाज् (तत्पुरुष) 'one who partakes of liberation'

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — would become/should become

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण) — thereafter

• रुद्रः: Rudra
• रुद्रः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — nominative singular

• नीलकण्ठः: Blue-throated (Shiva)
• नीलकण्ठः: Karta (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नील + कण्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — nominative singular; समास: नीलः कण्ठः यस्य (कर्मधारय)

• नारदाय: to Narada
• नारदाय: Sampradana (Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन — dative singular

• महात्मने: to the great-souled one
• महात्मने: Sampradana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन — dative singular; समास: महा+आत्मन् (बहुव्रीहि) विशेषण (to नारदाय)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating; Rudra/Nīlakaṇṭha addressed to Nārada is referenced

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahīnagaraka complex (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nārada

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene, symbolic moment: the liberated pilgrim is implied (no rebirth), while Nīlakaṇṭha-Rudra turns toward Nārada to speak; the scene is calm, luminous, and didactic.

Characters & Entities

• Rudra
• Nīlakaṇṭha
• Nārada

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Detachment from worldly dependence is praised, culminating in eligibility for liberation (mukti).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is a narrative transition; the site-glorification continues in the surrounding Guptakṣetra/Koṭitīrtha/Mahīnagaraka māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed in this verse; it introduces Rudra’s discourse to Nārada.