Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

यथाऽयं चिरजीवी स्यात्तथा नीतिर्विधीयताम् । अथ ते मुनयो भीता मिथ्या वाक्यस्य पार्थिव

Transliteration

yathā'yaṃ cirajīvī syāttathā nītirvidhīyatām | atha te munayo bhītā mithyā vākyasya pārthiva

Translation

„Es werde ein Mittel bestimmt, durch das dieses Kind langlebig werde.“ So sprachen jene Weisen, aus Furcht, ihr Wort könne sich als falsch erweisen, o König.

Word by Word

• यथा: so that
• यथा: Sambandha (Clause marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार/उपमानबोधक-अव्यय (so that/as)

• अयम्: this (boy)
• अयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• चिर-जीवी: long-lived
• चिर-जीवी: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चिर (प्रातिपदिक) + जीविन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (चिरं जीवति)

• स्यात्: may be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: तद्वत्/एवम्-अर्थक-अव्यय (thus)

• नीतिः: means/plan
• नीतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नीति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• विधीयताम्: let (it) be arranged
• विधीयताम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-धा (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (let it be arranged)

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरबोधक-अव्यय

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• मुनयः: sages
• मुनयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• भीताः: afraid
• भीताः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भी (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• मिथ्या: falsely
• मिथ्या: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मिथ्या (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), अर्थः—असत्यतया/falsehoodly

• वाक्यस्य: of the statement
• वाक्यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• पार्थिव: O king
• पार्थिव: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator voice (purāṇic narrator) describing the sages; address to a king indicates a kathā-frame

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣa ṛṣis / internal 'O king' addressee

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The speaker requests an ordained method for the child’s long life; the sages, anxious about their statement, confer and prepare to act.

Characters & Entities

• muni (sages)
• pārthiva (king)
• kumāra (implied child)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma includes safeguarding truth through righteous action—seeking a lawful remedy rather than accepting falsehood.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is within Arbuda-khaṇḍa (Mount Arbuda’s sacred tradition), but the verse highlights moral resolve more than a specific tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the request is for a divinely sanctioned ‘nīti’ (remedial ordinance).