Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 110

Devanagari script

परमायुः स्थिता षष्टिस्तदप्यस्ति न निष्ठितम् । तस्य यावद्भवेदायुर्देहिनः पूर्वकर्म भिः

Transliteration

paramāyuḥ sthitā ṣaṣṭistadapyasti na niṣṭhitam | tasya yāvadbhavedāyurdehinaḥ pūrvakarma bhiḥ

Translation

Die „höchste Lebensspanne“ heißt es, betrage sechzig Jahre – doch selbst das ist nicht gewiss. Denn ein verkörpertes Wesen lebt nur so lange, wie es durch frühere Taten (Karma) geformt ist.

Word by Word

• parama-āyuḥ: the maximum lifespan
• parama-āyuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक) + āyus (आयुस्, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (paramam āyuḥ = 'the highest lifespan')

• sthitā: fixed
• sthitā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthā (स्था, धातु)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'fixed/established' (agrees with ṣaṣṭiḥ)

• ṣaṣṭiḥ: sixty
• ṣaṣṭiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣaṣṭi (षष्टि, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; संख्या 'sixty' (years understood)

• tat: that
• tat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद्, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• api: even/also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात

• asti: exists/is
• asti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस्, धातु)
• Form: लट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• niṣṭhitam: certain/assured
• niṣṭhitam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ni-ṣṭhā (नि + स्था, धातु)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'certain/settled'

• tasya: of that (person)
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद्, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• yāvat: as long as
• yāvat: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (यावत्, प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: परिमाणार्थक-अव्यय (correlative adverb) = 'as long as/so much as'

• bhavet: may be/should be
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (भू, धातु)
• Form: लोट्/विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• āyuḥ: lifespan
• āyuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āyus (आयुस्, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• dehinaḥ: of the embodied one
• dehinaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dehin (देहिन्, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• pūrva-karma-bhiḥ: by previous actions (karma)
• pūrva-karma-bhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक) + karma (कर्मन्, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषः (pūrvam karma = 'former deeds'); करणत्वेन

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A balance-scale of karma above a human figure; threads from past deeds shape a measured lifespan; a calm Śaiva teacher indicates the path of purification.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Longevity is not guaranteed and is tied to karma; hence one should live righteously and pursue liberation-oriented goals.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific sacred geography appears in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse frames lifespan in terms of karma rather than a particular rite.