Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 142

Devanagari script

न चैतदस्ति यत्तेषां नोपतिष्ठति किंचन । स्वप्ने यथाक्रम्य नरं दृश्यंते याचकाश्च ते

Transliteration

na caitadasti yatteṣāṃ nopatiṣṭhati kiṃcana | svapne yathākramya naraṃ dṛśyaṃte yācakāśca te

Translation

Et ce n’est pas non plus que rien ne leur parvienne ; car on les voit même en rêve — s’approchant d’un homme selon l’ordre — tels des suppliants en quête de ce qui est offert.

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• etat: this
• etat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• asti: is/exists
• asti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• yat: which/that
• yat: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-यत् (relative pronoun)

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th case), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम (genitive plural)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• upatiṣṭhati: is present/attends/comes near
• upatiṣṭhati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (स्था धातु) उपसर्गः उप-
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; उप+स्था = उपस्थित/उपस्थित होना

• kiṃcana: anything at all
• kiṃcana: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kiṃcana (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन; अनिश्चित-सर्वनाम (indefinite)

• svapne: in a dream
• svapne: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svapna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative)

• yathā: as/just as
• yathā: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: as/just as)

• ākramya: having approached/assailed
• ākramya: Kriya (Subordinate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā√kram (क्रम् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; उपसर्गः आ-; अर्थः ‘आक्रम्य/अतिक्रम्य’

• naram: a man
• naram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• dṛśyante: are seen/appear
• dṛśyante: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (दृश् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense: are seen)

• yācakāḥ: beggars/supplicants
• yācakāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yācaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• te: they/those
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

Speaker

Unspecified questioner (listener in the dialogue)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (frame, implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A householder asleep sees a line of ancestral figures approaching in orderly sequence like petitioners; the dream-space is luminous, with subtle offerings (water, sesame, fragrance) appearing as ethereal streams.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pitṛs are connected to descendants through subtle channels; dreams can reflect unresolved obligations and the call to perform śrāddha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified; the verse discusses Pitṛ-related experience (svapna) rather than sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly encourages fulfilling Pitṛ obligations (śrāddha/tarpaṇa), suggested by their ‘supplicant-like’ appearance.