Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

वने वा नगरे ग्रामे पर्वते वा स्थलांतरे । मृत्योर्वशे प्रयातव्यं सर्वैरपि हि जंतुभिः

Transliteration

vane vā nagare grāme parvate vā sthalāṃtare | mṛtyorvaśe prayātavyaṃ sarvairapi hi jaṃtubhiḥ

Translation

Que ce soit dans la forêt ou la cité, au village, sur la montagne ou en tout autre lieu, toute créature doit inévitablement passer sous l’empire de la mort.

Word by Word

• vane: in a forest
• vane: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (or)

• nagare: in a city
• nagare: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nagara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• grāme: in a village
• grāme: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: grāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• parvate: on a mountain
• parvate: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (or)

• sthalāntare: in another place
• sthalāntare: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthala-antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः तत्पुरुष (determinative: 'another place'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• mṛtyoḥ: of death
• mṛtyoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛtyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• vaśe: under the control
• vaśe: Adhikaraṇa (State/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• prayātavyam: must be gone/one must depart
• prayātavyam: Kriya (Obligation/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-yā (धातु) + tavya (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तव्यत्-कृदन्त (gerundive/obligatory), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; भावे प्रयोगः (impersonal obligation)

• sarvaiḥ: by all
• sarvaiḥ: Kartr̥ (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन (Plural)

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Emphasis/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अपि-अर्थक-निपात (also/even)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-निपात (particle: 'indeed/for')

• jaṃtubhiḥ: by living beings
• jaṃtubhiḥ: Kartr̥ (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jaṃtu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Munayaḥ (the sages)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Implied disciple/audience within the Setukhaṇḍa dialogue

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic montage: forest, bustling city, quiet village, rugged mountain—each with a subtle shadow of Death (mṛtyu) or Yama’s noose spanning across, showing inevitability everywhere; sages narrate in the foreground.

Characters & Entities

• Mṛtyu (Death)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

No location grants exemption from death; one should prioritize spiritual readiness and righteous conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Setu/Rāmeśvaram section frames these reflections, encouraging purposeful pilgrimage and inner purification.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it supports the purāṇic impulse to practice dharma, dāna, and tīrtha-sevā before time ends.