Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

तद्ब्रूहि पितरं गत्वा मुहूर्तं परिपाल्यताम्

Transliteration

tadbrūhi pitaraṃ gatvā muhūrtaṃ paripālyatām

Translation

«Va donc dire à ton père qu’on attende un muhūrta, un court instant.»

Word by Word

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; निर्देश/प्रत्यादेश

• ब्रूहि: tell, say
• ब्रूहि: Kriya (Command/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पितरम्: father
• पितरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: अव्ययकृदन्त (क्त्वान्त/gerund) = 'having gone'

• मुहूर्तम्: for a moment, for a short while
• मुहूर्तम्: Karma (Extent of time/कर्म-काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुहूर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कालपरिमाण

• परिपाल्यताम्: let (him/it) be waited for/guarded
• परिपाल्यताम्: Kriya (Injunctive/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि + पाल् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः = 'let it be guarded/let (someone) wait'

Speaker

Sāvitrī (continued)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Her interlocutor/messenger figure (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A composed figure instructs a messenger to inform the father to wait for one muhūrta; the yajña ground is near, with a sense of controlled pause.

Characters & Entities

• Sāvitrī
• Father (contextual)
• Yajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even in urgent sacred work, correct timing and completeness of participants can be vital to ritual integrity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as narrative within the broader Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A timing instruction: to wait for a muhūrta.