Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

यम उवाच । कथंचिदपि विप्रेद्र न मे स्याद्दर्शनं वृथा । अन्येषामपि देवानां तस्मात्प्रार्थय वांछि तम्

Transliteration

yama uvāca | kathaṃcidapi vipredra na me syāddarśanaṃ vṛthā | anyeṣāmapi devānāṃ tasmātprārthaya vāṃchi tam

Translation

Yama sprach: „O Herr der Brāhmaṇas, möge mein Erscheinen vor dir keineswegs vergeblich sein. Darum erbitte auch, was du in Bezug auf die anderen Götter begehrst.“

Word by Word

• यमः: Yama
• यमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• कथंचित्: somehow, by some means
• कथंचित्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथंचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• अपि: even, also
• अपि: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• विप्र-इन्द्र: O best of Brahmins
• विप्र-इन्द्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक) + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (विप्राणाम् इन्द्रः)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• मे: of me / my
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• स्यात्: may be, should be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• दर्शनम्: vision, sight, audience
• दर्शनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन

• वृथा: in vain, fruitlessly
• वृथा: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वृथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• अन्येषाम्: of other
• अन्येषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (देवानाम् इति अपेक्षया), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• देवानाम्: of the gods
• देवानाम्: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तस्मात् (सर्वनाम/अव्यय-प्रयोग)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थक-निपात (therefore/from that reason)

• प्रार्थय: request, pray for
• प्रार्थय: Kriya (Command/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रार्थय् (धातु; प्र+अर्थय्)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• वाञ्छितम्: desired, wished-for
• वाञ्छितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाञ्छित (कृदन्त; वाञ्छ् धातु + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• तम्: that (thing)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

Speaker

Yama (Dharmarāja)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇa (viprendra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant, stern yet compassionate Yama appears before a venerable brāhmaṇa, offering boons; the setting suggests a sacred grove/riverbank tīrtha with ritual implements nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Yama (Dharmarāja)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine darśana is purposeful—one should align requests with dharma and make meaningful petitions rather than letting grace go unused.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This is within Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya context; the snippet does not explicitly name the tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; it concerns the granting of boons following darśana.