Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

सत्यवादस्तपो नित्यं प्राणिनां भुवि दुर्लभम् । सुप्ते देवपतौ कुर्वन्ननंतफलभाग्भवेत्

Transliteration

satyavādastapo nityaṃ prāṇināṃ bhuvi durlabham | supte devapatau kurvannanaṃtaphalabhāgbhavet

Translation

真实语是恒常的苦行（tapas），在世间众生中极为稀有。若在诸天之主安住于神圣睡眠之时（四月斋期 Cāturmāsya）修持此行者，将分得无尽的福果。

Word by Word

• satyavādaḥ: truth-speaking
• satyavādaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: satya + vāda (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (सत्यस्य वादः) (nominative singular)

• tapaḥ: austerity
• tapaḥ: Pradhana-predicative (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम् (nominative singular)

• nityam: always
• nityam: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण नपुंसक-एकवचनम् (adverbial: ‘always’)

• prāṇinām: of living beings
• prāṇinām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāṇin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी बहुवचनम् (genitive plural)

• bhuvi: on earth
• bhuvi: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे सप्तमी एकवचनम् (locative singular)

• durlabham: rare/difficult to obtain
• durlabham: Pradhana-predicative (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur + labha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (दुः + लभ) (nominative singular; predicate adjective)

• supte: when (he is) asleep
• supte: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: supta (√svap धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे सप्तमी एकवचनम् (locative singular)

• devapatau: in/when the Lord of the gods (is asleep)
• devapatau: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva + pati (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे सप्तमी एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (देवानां पतिः) (locative singular)

• kurvan: doing (it)
• kurvan: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √kṛ (धातु) शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्तं वर्तमानकाले; पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम् (present active participle: ‘doing’)

• anantaphalabhāk: a sharer of endless fruits
• anantaphalabhāk: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ananta + phala + bhāj (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (अनन्तं फलं यस्य सः/अनन्तफलस्य भागी) (nominative singular)

• bhavet: would become
• bhavet: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम् (may become)

Speaker

Brahmā

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee during monsoon months, hands folded before Hari, with a symbolic sleeping Viṣṇu (śayana) motif, while the devotee restrains speech and records truthful vows.

Characters & Entities

• Devapati (Lord of the gods)
• Cāturmāsya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ethical integrity—especially truthfulness—is a high austerity; in sacred times its spiritual yield multiplies.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is named; the verse highlights the sanctity of Cāturmāsya within the larger tīrtha-māhātmya context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Maintain satyavāda (truthfulness) as a vowed discipline, particularly during Cāturmāsya.