Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 62

Devanagari script

तस्माद्गच्छ गृहं शीघ्रं यावद्गात्रं न दह्यते । बन्धुभिस्तव शोकार्तैर्गृहीत्वा वांछितं धनम्

Transliteration

tasmādgaccha gṛhaṃ śīghraṃ yāvadgātraṃ na dahyate | bandhubhistava śokārtairgṛhītvā vāṃchitaṃ dhanam

Translation

Therefore go quickly to your home, before your body is burned; your grief-stricken relatives will take up the wealth you desire.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन — Ablative “therefore/from that”

• गच्छ: go
• गच्छ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), परस्मैपद; मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन — “go”

• गृहम्: home
• गृहम्: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — Accusative “home” (goal)

• शीघ्रम्: quickly
• शीघ्रम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शीघ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोगः (adverbial accusative) — “quickly”

• यावत्: until/as long as
• यावत्: Avadharana (Limit/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/संबन्धबोधक)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction/particle) — “as long as/until”

• गात्रम्: the body/limbs
• गात्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — Nominative singular (subject of ‘दह्यते’)

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधबोधक अव्यय (negation particle)

• दह्यते: is burned
• दह्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः — “is burned”

• बन्धुभिः: by/with relatives
• बन्धुभिः: Sahakari (Associate/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बन्धु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन — Instrumental plural “by/with relatives”

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन — Genitive “your”

• शोकआर्तैः: grief-stricken
• शोकआर्तैः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शोक (प्रातिपदिक) + आर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; तृतीया-बहुवचन विशेषणम् ‘बन्धुभिः’—“afflicted with grief” (शोकेन आर्ताः)

• गृहीत्वा: having taken
• गृहीत्वा: Purvakala (Absolutive/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √ग्रह् (धातु) → गृहीत्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund); “having taken”

• वाञ्छितम्: desired
• वाञ्छितम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √वाञ्छ् (धातु) → वाञ्छित (कृदन्त/क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — qualifying ‘धनम्’

• धनम्: wealth
• धनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — Accusative singular (object of ‘गृहीत्वा’)

Speaker

Yama

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇa (dvijottama)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A messenger-like teacher urges a brāhmaṇa to hurry home; in the background, a cremation ground with rising smoke and relatives gathering possessions, conveying urgency and impermanence.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Brāhmaṇa (listener)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly attachments are fragile at death; one should prioritize dharma over wealth, which quickly passes to others.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; the verse is a moral reminder within the narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Indirectly references cremation and post-death handling of possessions, but no specific rite is prescribed.