Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

स एवं निश्चयं कृत्वा नंदिवर्धनमुक्तवान् । गच्छ त्वं पुत्र मे वाक्याद्वसिष्ठस्याश्रमं प्रति

Transliteration

sa evaṃ niścayaṃ kṛtvā naṃdivardhanamuktavān | gaccha tvaṃ putra me vākyādvasiṣṭhasyāśramaṃ prati

Translation

Nachdem er so seinen Entschluss gefasst hatte, sprach er zu Nandivardhana: „Geh, mein Sohn — auf mein Wort hin — zur Einsiedelei (Āśrama) des Vasiṣṭha.“

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner)

• निश्चयम्: a decision, resolve
• निश्चयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निश्चय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• कृत्वा: having made
• कृत्वा: Kriya (Non-finite verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having done)

• नन्दिवर्धनम्: Nandivardhana
• नन्दिवर्धनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नन्दिवर्धन (प्रातिपदिक; नाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उक्तवान्: said
• उक्तवान्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्तवतु-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past active participle used finitely); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अर्थे—भूतकाल (said)

• गच्छ: go
• गच्छ: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Agent addressed/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुषार्थे (2nd person pronoun); प्रथमा, एकवचन

• पुत्र: O son
• पुत्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

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

• वाक्यात्: from (my) words; by my command
• वाक्यात्: Hetu/Source (Cause/Source/हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन

• वसिष्ठस्य: of Vasiṣṭha
• वसिष्ठस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; नाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• आश्रमम्: hermitage
• आश्रमम्: Karma (Goal as object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रति: towards
• प्रति: Adhikarana/Direction (Goal-direction/अधिकरण-निदेश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति (अव्यय/उपसर्ग-निपात)
• Form: अव्यय; दिशावाचक/प्रत्ययार्थक उपपद (towards)

Speaker

Himavān (in Sūta’s narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vasiṣṭhāśrama (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Himavān, having decided, addresses Nandivardhana with paternal authority, sending him toward Vasiṣṭha’s hermitage; the path leads through forests toward a serene āśrama.

Characters & Entities

• Himavān
• Nandivardhana
• Vasiṣṭha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right decision culminates in right action—honoring sages and executing duty promptly is upheld as dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vasiṣṭha’s āśrama is referenced as a sacred locus, though no named tīrtha is specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a command to proceed to the sage’s hermitage.