Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

यदि पृच्छन्ति ते बालान् क्व गतान् कथयाम्यहम् । एवं स्थिते महाभाग यदि कश्चिन्मरिष्यति

Transliteration

yadi pṛcchanti te bālān kva gatān kathayāmyaham | evaṃ sthite mahābhāga yadi kaścinmariṣyati

Translation

«S’ils demandent des enfants : “Où sont-ils allés ?”, que leur dirai-je ? En une telle situation, ô très fortuné, si quelqu’un venait à mourir…».

Word by Word

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, शर्तवाचक (conditional conjunction)

• पृच्छन्ति: ask
• पृच्छन्ति: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• बालान्: the boys/children
• बालान्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन

• क्व: where
• क्व: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Interrogative adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रश्नवाचक-देशवाचक (interrogative adverb of place)

• गतान्: gone
• गतान्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √गम्)
• Form: भूतकालिक-कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन; ‘gone’ (qualifying ‘बालान्’)

• कथयामि: shall I say/tell
• कथयामि: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु; नामधातु/णिजन्त)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक (thus/in this way)

• स्थिते: when (things) are so/being thus
• स्थिते: Adhikaraṇa (Locative absolute)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √स्था)
• Form: भूतकालिक-कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (‘when things are thus’)

• महाभाग: O fortunate one
• महाभाग: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाभाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (‘महान् भागः यस्य’)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, शर्तवाचक (conditional)

• कश्चित्: someone/anyone
• कश्चित्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चित् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक सर्वनाम (‘someone’)

• मरिष्यति: will die
• मरिष्यति: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मृ (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Baṭu (continuing speech)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The boy imagines the parents’ questions and the possibility of death; the scene shows him speaking anxiously to the guru while the river flows ominously behind, suggesting impending consequence.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

One must foresee the moral and social consequences of actions; dharma demands responsibility.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative context is the Revā (Narmadā) region, culminating in a named Śiva-tīrtha later in the passage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual instruction appears in this verse.