Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

मातरं भ्रातरं दृष्ट्वा सखीः स्वजनवबांधवान् । सत्यमेवाग्रतः कृत्वा नान्यथा कर्तुमर्हसि

Transliteration

mātaraṃ bhrātaraṃ dṛṣṭvā sakhīḥ svajanavabāṃdhavān | satyamevāgrataḥ kṛtvā nānyathā kartumarhasi

Translation

Nachdem du deine Mutter, deinen Bruder, deine Freunde und deine eigenen Verwandten und Angehörigen gesehen hast—die Wahrheit an die Spitze stellend—darfst du nicht anders handeln.

Word by Word

• mātaram: mother
• mātaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन — Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• bhrātaram: brother
• bhrātaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhrātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययकृदन्त) — Absolutive/Gerund; ‘having seen’

• sakhīḥ: female friends
• sakhīḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sakhī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन — Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• svajana-vabāṃdhavān: one’s own people and relatives (vabāṃdhavas)
• svajana-vabāṃdhavān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + jana (प्रातिपदिक) + vabāṃdhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Plural; समाहार/निर्देशार्थ-तत्पुरुष (स्वजनाश्च वबान्धवाश्च इति अर्थः)

• satyam: truth
• satyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: satya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात — Emphatic particle ‘indeed/only’

• agrataḥ: in front (of them)
• agrataḥ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: agrataḥ (अव्यय) [agra + tas]
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक — Adverb of place ‘in front/presence’

• kṛtvā: having made (as)
• kṛtvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययकृदन्त) — Absolutive/Gerund; ‘having made/keeping’

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

• anyathā: otherwise
• anyathā: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anyathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक — Adverb ‘otherwise’

• kartum: to do
• kartum: Prayojana/Anukriya (Complement/पूरक)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (इन्फिनिटिव) — Infinitive ‘to do’

• arhasi: you ought/are fit
• arhasi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Present, 2nd person, Singular

Speaker

Vyāghra (tiger)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Not specified in the provided excerpt

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An admonitory moment: the speaker instructs the woman to see her relatives but to keep truth foremost and not deviate from her promise.

Characters & Entities

• Kapilā
• Mother
• Brother
• Kin

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Truth is supreme; even strong emotional ties must not become a pretext to abandon one’s pledged word.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Arbuda māhātmya is conveyed through dharmic exemplars, implying that sacred places are upheld by truthful conduct.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal ritual; it teaches vow-like steadfastness (satya-niṣṭhā) as a core purāṇic discipline.