Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

स्मरन्महायतिवचः पुत्रदर्शनलालसः । स तस्थौ वणिजो गेहे पुत्रभार्यासमन्वितः

Transliteration

smaranmahāyativacaḥ putradarśanalālasaḥ | sa tasthau vaṇijo gehe putrabhāryāsamanvitaḥ

Translation

Se remémorant les paroles du grand ascète, brûlant du désir de revoir son fils, il demeura dans la maison du marchand avec son épouse.

Word by Word

• स्मरन्: remembering
• स्मरन्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), परस्मैपदी; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (present active participle, masculine nominative singular)

• महायति-वचः: the words of the great ascetic
• महायति-वचः: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महायति (प्रातिपदिक) + वचस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (महायतिवचः = महायतिवचांसि/महायतिवचनम् इत्यर्थे; here as object of स्मरन्); (neuter accusative singular)

• पुत्र-दर्शन-लालसः: eager to see his son
• पुत्र-दर्शन-लालसः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक) + लालस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (पुत्रदर्शनस्य लालसः); (masculine nominative singular)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (pronoun, masculine nominative singular)

• तस्थौ: stood / remained
• तस्थौ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परिपूर्णभूत/Perfect), परस्मैपदी; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; (perfect, 3rd person singular)

• वणिजः: of the merchant
• वणिजः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वणिज् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; (masculine genitive singular)

• गेहे: in the house
• गेहे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; (neuter locative singular)

• पुत्र-भार्या-समन्वितः: accompanied by (his) son and wife
• पुत्र-भार्या-समन्वितः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + भार्या (प्रातिपदिक) + समन्वित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (पुत्रभार्याभ्यां समन्वितः); (masculine nominative singular)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A weary traveler, remembering an ascetic’s words, stays in a merchant’s house with his wife—an intimate domestic pause amid a larger pilgrimage tale.

Characters & Entities

• Mahāyati (great ascetic/sage)
• Govindasvāmin
• Wife (bhāryā)
• Merchant (vaṇik)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holding to a saint’s guidance in times of loss sustains faith and steadiness; guru-vākya is treated as a reliable compass through suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Setu-kṣetra setting is implicit in Setukhaṇḍa, but no particular tīrtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated; the emphasis is on remembrance and faithful perseverance.