Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

नूनं कामेन भोगैर्वा कृत्यं वध्वा न मे मनाक् । या पुत्रसुखमन्वीक्ष्य परलोकार्थमाश्रिता

Transliteration

nūnaṃ kāmena bhogairvā kṛtyaṃ vadhvā na me manāk | yā putrasukhamanvīkṣya paralokārthamāśritā

Translation

Wahrlich, meine Frau hat nicht die geringste Neigung zu Begierde oder Genüssen. Obgleich sie das Glück eines Sohnes erblickt, hat sie den Weg ergriffen, der auf das Heil der jenseitigen Welt zielt.

Word by Word

• नूनम्: surely
• नूनम्: Sambandha (Sentence adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नूनम् (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (certainly)

• कामेन: by desire, by lust
• कामेन: Karana (Instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया एकवचन (instrumental singular)

• भोगैः: by enjoyments/pleasures
• भोगैः: Karana (Instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया बहुवचन (instrumental plural)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Alternative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

• कृत्यम्: duty/thing to be done
• कृत्यम्: Karma (Object; ‘something to be done/aim’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (neuter nominative/accusative singular)

• वध्वा: by the wife
• वध्वा: Karana/Karta (Agent-instrument: ‘by the wife’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वधू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया एकवचन (instrumental singular)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• मे: my
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी एकवचन (genitive singular)

• मनाक्: even a little
• मनाक्: Sambandha (Degree adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मनाक् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाणार्थक-अव्यय (adverb: even a little)

• या: who
• या: Karta (Subject of subordinate clause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (relative pronoun)

• पुत्रसुखम्: the happiness of a son/children
• पुत्रसुखम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + सुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पुत्रस्य सुखम्)

• अन्वीक्ष्य: having sought/considered
• अन्वीक्ष्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु + ईक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund)

• परलोकार्थम्: for the sake of the next world
• परलोकार्थम्: Karma (Object/goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परलोक (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (परलोकस्य अर्थः)

• आश्रिता: has resorted to
• आश्रिता: Karta (Predicate adjective of या)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + श्रि (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग प्रथमा एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे

Speaker

Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira), addressing Keśava (Kṛṣṇa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A reflective statement about a wife unmoved by pleasures, choosing the path for the next world even while seeing the joy of a son; the emotional tone is calm admiration.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmarāja
• Keśava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even legitimate worldly joys (like putra-sukha) are portrayed as secondary to striving for spiritual good and the next-worldly aim.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None is specified; the verse is a general dharma reflection on worldly vs. other-worldly priorities.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription; it broadly commends a life oriented to paraloka through tapas/discipline.