Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

अथ कालेन महता पितरौ तस्य तौ प्रिये । वार्द्धक्यभावमापन्नौ भर्तव्यौ तस्य विह्वलौ

Transliteration

atha kālena mahatā pitarau tasya tau priye | vārddhakyabhāvamāpannau bhartavyau tasya vihvalau

Translation

Nach langer Zeit wurden seine geliebten Eltern alt und gerieten in die Gebrechlichkeit des Alters. Bekümmert und hilflos wurden sie von ihm abhängig, damit er sie ernähre.

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Avyaya (Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (then/thereupon)

• कालेन: with time / by time
• कालेन: Karana (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महता: great/long
• महता: Karana (Instrument qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• पितरौ: (his) two parents
• पितरौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; सर्वनाम

• प्रिये: dear/beloved
• प्रिये: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; विशेषण

• वार्द्धक्यभावम्: the state of old age
• वार्द्धक्यभावम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वार्द्धक्य + भाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वार्द्धक्यस्य भावः)

• आपन्नौ: having fallen into / having reached
• आपन्नौ: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आपन्न (कृदन्त; √आपद्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; विशेषण

• भर्तव्यौ: to be maintained/supported
• भर्तव्यौ: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भर्तव्य (कृदन्त; √भृ)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/obligatory), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (to be supported)

• तस्य: by him/of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Agent/possessor of duty)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• विह्वलौ: distressed/helpless
• विह्वलौ: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विह्वल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Narrator (within Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An aged couple, frail and leaning, seated in a modest home; the son stands apart, conflicted—compassionate duty shadowed by impending wrongdoing.

Characters & Entities

• pitarau (parents)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It highlights pitṛ-sevā—supporting one’s aged parents—as a foundational duty that frames later moral consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader narrative belongs to the Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya, praising the sacred region of Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse emphasizes the dharmic obligation of maintaining elderly parents.