Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

ममांतिकं प्रपन्नस्य तव जातं युगत्रयम् । अतीता भूतले मर्त्या ये दृष्टाः प्राक्त्वया नृप

Transliteration

mamāṃtikaṃ prapannasya tava jātaṃ yugatrayam | atītā bhūtale martyā ye dṛṣṭāḥ prāktvayā nṛpa

Translation

Ô roi, depuis que tu es venu près de moi en quête de refuge, trois yuga se sont écoulés pour toi. Les mortels que tu avais vus jadis sur la terre, ô souverain, se sont déjà éteints.

Word by Word

• mama: of me/my
• mama: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• antikam: near (me)/to my presence
• antikam: Gati/Adhikarana (Goal/स्थान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: antika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘प्रपन्नस्य’ इत्यस्य उपपद-सम्बन्धे गत्यर्थक-भावे (to the vicinity)

• prapannasya: of (one) who has come/surrendered
• prapannasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-√pad (धातु) → prapanna (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त—‘having resorted/surrendered’

• tava: your
• tava: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• jātam: has arisen/has come to pass
• jātam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jan (धातु) → jāta (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त—‘has occurred/has been born’; ‘युगत्रयम्’ इत्यस्य विधेय

• yugatrayam: a triad of ages/three yugas
• yugatrayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuga (प्रातिपदिक) + traya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास—संख्यापूर्वक

• atītāḥ: passed away
• atītāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: atīta (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-निष्पन्न)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण—‘मर्त्याः’ इत्यस्य

• bhūtale: on the earth’s surface
• bhūtale: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū (प्रातिपदिक) + tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• martyāḥ: mortals/men
• martyāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: martya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• ye: who
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम

• dṛṣṭāḥ: were seen
• dṛṣṭāḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु) → dṛṣṭa (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त—‘seen’; कर्मणि-भावे ‘त्वया’ इत्यनेन कर्तृकरण

• prāk: formerly/before
• prāk: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prāk (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Kartr̥ (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्वद्-शब्दः, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; कर्तृकरणे (agent in passive)

• nṛpa: O king
• nṛpa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Unknown (context suggests a being revealing supernatural time-span to a king)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king stands bewildered before a radiant being/sage; behind them, a cosmic backdrop suggests yuga cycles—fading silhouettes of people the king once knew, now gone; the earth below appears changed.

Characters & Entities

• nṛpa (king)
• yuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time is sovereign; even royal life and human relationships pass away, so one should seek the timeless refuge of dharma and sacred presence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A tīrtha context is implied (Tīrthamāhātmya), but the specific place-name is not stated in this verse snippet.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is directly prescribed in this verse.