Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

ध्यात्वा तु सुचिरं कालं नृपं नंदमथाब्रवीत् । ध्यानकाष्ठस्य शापेन ह्युन्म त्तस्ते सुतोऽभवत्

Transliteration

dhyātvā tu suciraṃ kālaṃ nṛpaṃ naṃdamathābravīt | dhyānakāṣṭhasya śāpena hyunma ttaste suto'bhavat

Translation

Après avoir médité très longtemps, il dit au roi Nanda : «En vérité, c’est par la malédiction de Dhyānakāṣṭha que ton fils est devenu égaré».

Word by Word

• ध्यात्वा: having meditated
• ध्यात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्यै (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); ‘having meditated’

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात — adversative/emphatic particle

• सुचिरम्: very long
• सुचिरम्: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुचिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन — accusative singular; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (qualifying duration)

• कालम्: time
• कालम्: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन — accusative singular (duration)

• नृपम्: the king
• नृपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन — accusative singular

• नन्दम्: Nanda
• नन्दम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन — accusative singular; नृपम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषण-सम्बन्ध (apposition)

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रमसूचक निपात — sequential particle

• अब्रवीत्: said
• अब्रवीत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — imperfect 3rd sg

• ध्यानकाष्ठस्य: of the meditation-wood (name)
• ध्यानकाष्ठस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ध्यान (प्रातिपदिक) + काष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन — genitive singular; समासः: ध्यान-काष्ठ (तत्पुरुष)

• शापेन: by the curse
• शापेन: Karana (Instrument/Cause/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन — instrumental singular

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात — emphatic/causal particle

• उन्मत्तः: mad
• उन्मत्तः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उन्मत्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — nominative singular; विशेषण (qualifying सुतः)

• ते: your
• ते: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), एकवचन — genitive singular (pronoun)

• सुतः: son
• सुतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — nominative singular

• अभवत्: became
• अभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — imperfect 3rd sg

Speaker

Jaimini (to King Nanda)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Jaimini, after long meditation, declares the cause: the curse of Dhyānakāṣṭha; the king reacts with shock; the prince’s madness is shown as a karmic shadow.

Characters & Entities

• Jaimini
• Nanda
• Dhyānakāṣṭha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Afflictions can be karmically rooted; recognizing the cause is essential before undertaking dhārmic atonement.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not in this verse; it introduces the cause that will be remedied through Setu pilgrimage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None here; the remedy is announced next.