Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

पुत्रमापृच्छय नंदस्तं प्रययौ तपसे वनम् । गते पितरि पुत्रोऽपि धर्मगुप्तो नृपो द्विजाः

Transliteration

putramāpṛcchaya naṃdastaṃ prayayau tapase vanam | gate pitari putro'pi dharmagupto nṛpo dvijāḥ

Translation

Après avoir pris congé de son fils, Nanda partit vers la forêt pour les austérités. Le père étant parti, le fils aussi—le roi Dharmagupta, ô brāhmanes—

Word by Word

• पुत्रम्: son
• पुत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• आपृच्छ्य: having asked/after taking leave
• आपृच्छ्य: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ√पृच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया; धातु: पृच्छ्, उपसर्ग: आ

• नन्दः: Nanda
• नन्दः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रययौ: went forth
• प्रययौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र√या (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तपसे: for austerity
• तपसे: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative), एकवचन

• वनम्: to the forest
• वनम्: Karma (Goal/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गते: when (he) had gone
• गते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (Past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• पितरि: when the father (was gone)
• पितरि: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी

• पुत्रः: the son
• पुत्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-भाव

• धर्मगुप्तः: Dharmagupta
• धर्मगुप्तः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म + गुप्त (प्रातिपदिक); गुप्त (√गुप् क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (धर्मेण/धर्मस्य गुप्तः)

• नृपः: king
• नृपः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• द्विजाः: O twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संबोधनार्थे (vocative-sense)

Speaker

Narrator (addressing brāhmaṇas as audience)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas/ṛṣis (addressed as ‘dvijāḥ’, ‘viprāḥ’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An aged king Nanda, after blessing and taking leave of his son, turns toward a forest path with ascetic resolve; the prince remains in the palace court, poised to assume dharmic rule.

Characters & Entities

• Nanda
• Dharmagupta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A dharmic life includes both worldly duty and renunciation: the father turns to tapas, while the son assumes righteous responsibility.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader Setu region remains the backdrop; the verse continues the post-pilgrimage narrative after Dhanuṣkoṭi and Rāmanātha worship.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) undertaken in the forest as a disciplined spiritual practice.