Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 135

Devanagari script

ततोऽहमष्टमे वर्षे यदा व्रतधरः स्थितः । तदा पंचत्वमापन्नः पिता मे वेदपारगः

Transliteration

tato'hamaṣṭame varṣe yadā vratadharaḥ sthitaḥ | tadā paṃcatvamāpannaḥ pitā me vedapāragaḥ

Translation

Dann, als ich im achten Lebensjahr war und fest in den Gelübden (vrata) stand, da traf meinen Vater—der in den Veden bewandert war—zu jener Zeit der Tod.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable adverb): तस्मात्/ततः = thereafter/then

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), उत्तमपुरुषार्थे; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• aṣṭame: in the eighth
• aṣṭame: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭama (संख्यावाचक-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण (ordinal adjective); पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; 'varṣe' इति विशेष्ये

• varṣe: year
• varṣe: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• yadā: when
• yadā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (temporal conjunction/adverb): when

• vrata-dharaḥ: a vow-observer (one who bears a vow)
• vrata-dharaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrata (प्रातिपदिक) + dhara (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √dhṛ धृ (धातु) + अ)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष): व्रतस्य धरः; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• sthitaḥ: was/stood (remained)
• sthitaḥ: Karta (Predicate complement/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā स्था (धातु) + क्त (क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'स्थितः' = having remained/being

• tadā: then
• tadā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (temporal adverb): then/at that time

• paṃcatvam: death (the state of being one of the five elements)
• paṃcatvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paṃcatva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; 'पञ्चत्वम्' = मृत्युभावः (state of death)

• āpannaḥ: having attained
• āpannaḥ: Karta (Predicate complement/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √āp आप् (धातु) + क्त (क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (past participle/क्त); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'आपन्नः' = having attained

• pitā: father
• pitā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• veda-pāragaḥ: versed in the Vedas
• veda-pāragaḥ: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक) + pāraga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास: वेदानां पारगः (one who has gone to the far shore of the Vedas); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'pitā' इति विशेष्ये

Speaker

The disguised mendicant/outcaste continuing his life account (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A young boy in simple vrata attire (matted hair or topknot, sacred thread), standing near a quiet household courtyard as elders mourn; the father’s body is prepared for last rites, evoking the shock of impermanence.

Characters & Entities

• Vrata
• Veda
• Pitā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human life is uncertain; dharmic discipline (vrata) and Vedic grounding are portrayed as supports amid loss and transition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it continues the narrative within the Tīrthamāhātmya chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Vrata (religious observance) is referenced generally; no particular vow’s procedure is specified here.