Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 135

Devanagari script

ततोऽहमष्टमे वर्षे यदा व्रतधरः स्थितः । तदा पंचत्वमापन्नः पिता मे वेदपारगः

Transliteration

tato'hamaṣṭame varṣe yadā vratadharaḥ sthitaḥ | tadā paṃcatvamāpannaḥ pitā me vedapāragaḥ

Translation

Puis, lorsque j’avais huit ans et que je demeurais établi dans les observances sacrées (vrata), mon père—versé dans les Veda—en ce temps-là rencontra la mort.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable adverb): तस्मात्/ततः = thereafter/then

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), उत्तमपुरुषार्थे; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• aṣṭame: in the eighth
• aṣṭame: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭama (संख्यावाचक-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण (ordinal adjective); पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; 'varṣe' इति विशेष्ये

• varṣe: year
• varṣe: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• yadā: when
• yadā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (temporal conjunction/adverb): when

• vrata-dharaḥ: a vow-observer (one who bears a vow)
• vrata-dharaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrata (प्रातिपदिक) + dhara (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √dhṛ धृ (धातु) + अ)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष): व्रतस्य धरः; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• sthitaḥ: was/stood (remained)
• sthitaḥ: Karta (Predicate complement/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā स्था (धातु) + क्त (क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'स्थितः' = having remained/being

• tadā: then
• tadā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (temporal adverb): then/at that time

• paṃcatvam: death (the state of being one of the five elements)
• paṃcatvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paṃcatva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; 'पञ्चत्वम्' = मृत्युभावः (state of death)

• āpannaḥ: having attained
• āpannaḥ: Karta (Predicate complement/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √āp आप् (धातु) + क्त (क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (past participle/क्त); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'आपन्नः' = having attained

• pitā: father
• pitā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• veda-pāragaḥ: versed in the Vedas
• veda-pāragaḥ: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक) + pāraga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास: वेदानां पारगः (one who has gone to the far shore of the Vedas); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'pitā' इति विशेष्ये

Speaker

The disguised mendicant/outcaste continuing his life account (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A young boy in simple vrata attire (matted hair or topknot, sacred thread), standing near a quiet household courtyard as elders mourn; the father’s body is prepared for last rites, evoking the shock of impermanence.

Characters & Entities

• Vrata
• Veda
• Pitā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human life is uncertain; dharmic discipline (vrata) and Vedic grounding are portrayed as supports amid loss and transition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it continues the narrative within the Tīrthamāhātmya chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Vrata (religious observance) is referenced generally; no particular vow’s procedure is specified here.