Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

तदा त्वशोकदत्तश्च ब्राह्मणी च समाकुलौ । वस्त्रेणास्तीर्य पृथिवीं रात्रौ निद्रां समापतुः

Transliteration

tadā tvaśokadattaśca brāhmaṇī ca samākulau | vastreṇāstīrya pṛthivīṃ rātrau nidrāṃ samāpatuḥ

Translation

Da breiteten Aśokadatta und die Frau des Brāhmaṇa, beide ängstlich und unruhig, ein Tuch auf die Erde und legten sich nachts zum Schlafen nieder.

Word by Word

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (contrastive particle)

• अशोकदत्तः: Ashokadatta
• अशोकदत्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अशोकदत्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; व्यक्तिनाम (proper name)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• ब्राह्मणी: the Brahmin woman (wife)
• ब्राह्मणी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• समाकुलौ: both distressed
• समाकुलौ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-आकुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; विशेषण (युगपद्-द्वयवाचक)

• वस्त्रेण: with a cloth
• वस्त्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• आस्तीर्य: having spread
• आस्तीर्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-स्तॄ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; ‘having spread’

• पृथिवीम्: the ground/earth
• पृथिवीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• रात्रौ: at night
• रात्रौ: Kāla/Adhikarana (Time-locus/काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• निद्राम्: sleep
• निद्राम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निद्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• समापतुः: fell into/attained
• समापतुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आपद् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), द्विवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator; specific speaker not explicit in this snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setukṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Inside an empty shrine hall, Aśokadatta and the brāhmaṇī spread a single cloth on the floor; their faces show worry; the child lies down, travel bundles nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Aśokadatta
• brāhmaṇī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage can involve discomfort and anxiety; dharma is upheld through patience and continued resolve.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues the Prayāga-area travel narrative without naming a new tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is descriptive of their resting arrangement.