Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

पश्चिमे वयसि प्राप्ते तस्य पुत्रो बभूव ह । स्वाध्यायनियमस्थस्य प्रभूतविभवस्य च

Transliteration

paścime vayasi prāpte tasya putro babhūva ha | svādhyāyaniyamasthasya prabhūtavibhavasya ca

Translation

Lorsqu’il parvint au dernier âge de la vie, un fils lui naquit—établi dans le svādhyāya (l’étude sacrée) et les observances, et pourvu d’une grande prospérité.

Word by Word

• पश्चिमे: in the later
• पश्चिमे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (वयसि)

• वयसि: in age
• वयसि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणे

• प्राप्ते: when (it was) reached; upon attaining
• प्राप्ते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी, एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध

• पुत्रः: a son
• पुत्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• बभूव: came to be; was born
• बभूव: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• ह: indeed
• ह: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic particle)

• स्वाध्यायनियमस्थस्य: of him who was devoted to self-study and observances
• स्वाध्यायनियमस्थस्य: Sambandha (Genitive qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वाध्याय-नियम-स्थ (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तस्य)

• प्रभूतविभवस्य: of him who had abundant wealth/prosperity
• प्रभूतविभवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रभूत-विभव (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तस्य)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmarājeśvara/Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (implied)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvija-sattamāḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An elderly brāhmaṇa household in the kṣetra: sacred fire, Vedic implements, and the newborn son; the father’s calm joy is restrained by ascetic discipline; prosperity shown as orderly abundance (grain, cows, vessels) without opulence.

Characters & Entities

• Upādhyāya (implied)
• son (unnamed)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is portrayed as sustained discipline—svādhyāya and niyama—across life’s stages, even amid prosperity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Dharmarājeśvara-tīrtha setting remains the backdrop; this verse advances the local narrative tied to that kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite; it highlights daily svādhyāya and observances (niyama) as ongoing practice.