Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

ततो भिक्षां समाहृत्य प्राणयात्रा मया कृता । कालेन महता प्राप्तः कालधर्मं मुनीश्वराः

Transliteration

tato bhikṣāṃ samāhṛtya prāṇayātrā mayā kṛtā | kālena mahatā prāptaḥ kāladharmaṃ munīśvarāḥ

Translation

Dann sammelte ich Almosen und erhielt damit mein Leben. Nach sehr langer Zeit gelangte ich zum Gesetz der Zeit — zum Tod, o Herren unter den Weisen.

Word by Word

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय/तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय, तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb: from that/thereafter)

• भिक्षाम्: alms
• भिक्षाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भिक्षा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (feminine accusative singular)

• समाहृत्य: having collected
• समाहृत्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + हृ (धातु) → समाहृत्य (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund): having collected/brought together

• प्राणयात्रा: maintenance of life
• प्राणयात्रा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण + यात्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (feminine nominative singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (प्राणानां यात्रा)

• मया: by me
• मया: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (instrumental singular: by me)

• कृता: was done
• कृता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त/PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘प्राणयात्रा’ इत्यस्य विधेय-विशेषणम् (was done/made)

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

• महता: great, long
• महता: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masculine instrumental singular); विशेषणम् (qualifying कालेन)

• प्राप्तः: arrived
• प्राप्तः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु) → प्राप्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तरि-भावे (has arrived/has come)

• कालधर्मम्: the law/condition of time (death)
• कालधर्मम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल + धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masculine accusative singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कालस्य धर्मः)

• मुनीश्वराः: O lords of sages
• मुनीश्वराः: Sambodhana/Address (Vocative sense/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (ईश्वराः मुनयः) — सम्बोधनार्थे (address)

Speaker

Rājā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: munīśvarāḥ (lords among sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The devotee later walks with a begging bowl, living on alms; seasons pass; finally he lies peacefully at life’s end, surrounded by sages or in a quiet hermitage-like setting—accepting Kāla without fear.

Characters & Entities

• Munis (addressed as munīśvarāḥ)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time is inexorable; therefore dharma and devotion should be practiced now, while sustaining life with simplicity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader Prabhāsa sacred setting frames the narrative, though this verse emphasizes life-course and mortality rather than a new site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bhikṣā (accepting alms) as a means of simple livelihood; no additional rite is specified in this verse.