Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । प्राणत्यागं महाराज मा काले त्वं कृथा वृथा । अद्याप्यसि युवा त्वं वै न युक्तं मरणं तव

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | prāṇatyāgaṃ mahārāja mā kāle tvaṃ kṛthā vṛthā | adyāpyasi yuvā tvaṃ vai na yuktaṃ maraṇaṃ tava

Translation

Īśvara said: “O great king, do not abandon your life before its time—do not do so in vain. Even now you are young; death is not fitting for you.”

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara (Lord)
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (ईश्वर, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच्, धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• prāṇa-tyāgam: abandoning life-breath (suicide)
• prāṇa-tyāgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāṇa (प्राण) + tyāga (त्याग) (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (प्राणानां त्यागः); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• mahā-rāja: O great king
• mahā-rāja: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (महा) + rājan (राजन्) (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: कर्मधारय (महान् राजा); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (vocative), एकवचन

• mā: do not
• mā: Pratiṣedha (Prohibition/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: mā (मा)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (prohibitive particle)

• kāle: at (this) time
• kāle: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (काल, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (युष्मद्, सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• kṛthāḥ: do/make
• kṛthāḥ: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ, धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (आज्ञार्थ/Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• vṛthā: in vain
• vṛthā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vṛthā (वृथा)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• adya: today
• adya: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adya (अद्य)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb)

• api: even/also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अपि)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-अव्यय (particle: even/also)

• asi: are
• asi: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (अस्, धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान/Present), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• yuvā: young
• yuvā: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yuvan (युवन्, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (युष्मद्, सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (पुनरुक्ति-बलार्थ)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (वै)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (न)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation)

• yuktam: proper/fitting
• yuktam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yukta (युक्त, √yuj क्त-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicate adjective)

• maraṇam: death
• maraṇam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maraṇa (मरण, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tava: for you/of you
• tava: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (युष्मद्, सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) / Rudra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tirtha milieu

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Maharāja Citrasena

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva, compassionate and authoritative, addresses the king at close range, halting him from self-abandonment; Viṣṇu stands as witness of dharma.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Citrasena

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma discourages self-destruction; spiritual urgency must be balanced with rightful life-duties under divine guidance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Implicitly the Revā Khaṇḍa sacred setting where the king performs tapas; the verse itself focuses on ethical instruction.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a prohibition against akāla-prāṇatyāga (untimely renunciation of life).