Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मण उवाच । अवश्यं यदि गंतव्यं मया देव गृहं पुनः । तन्ममाचक्ष्व पृच्छामि वरश्चैष भवेन्मम

Transliteration

brāhmaṇa uvāca | avaśyaṃ yadi gaṃtavyaṃ mayā deva gṛhaṃ punaḥ | tanmamācakṣva pṛcchāmi varaścaiṣa bhavenmama

Translation

Le brāhmaṇa dit : «Si je dois assurément retourner encore à ma demeure, ô Seigneur, alors instruis-moi : telle est ma demande. Que cela même soit ma grâce.»

Word by Word

• ब्राह्मणः: the brāhmaṇa
• ब्राह्मणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अवश्यम्: certainly, necessarily
• अवश्यम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: avaśyam (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तार्थक-समुच्चय (conditional particle)

• गन्तव्यम्: must be gone / should go
• गन्तव्यम्: Kriya (Obligation/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + तव्यत् (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तव्यत्-कृत्य (gerundive/obligative); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भावे/कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘to be gone/should go’

• मया: by me
• मया: Kartr̥ (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; त्रिलिङ्ग-प्रयोग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• देव: of the god / divine
• देव: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे (genitival sense), एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद-रूपेण (in compound)

• गृहम्: house, abode
• गृहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• तत्: that (thing/matter)
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; निर्देशार्थ (referring to that matter)

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

• आचक्ष्व: tell, explain
• आचक्ष्व: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + चक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पृच्छामि: I ask
• पृच्छामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• वरः: a boon
• वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• एषः: this
• एषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भवेत्: may be, should be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मम: for me / mine
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Brāhmaṇa (unnamed interlocutor)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yama (Dharma-rāja)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa pilgrim, hands folded, addresses a majestic, stern yet just divine figure (Yama/Dharma-rāja) in an otherworldly court; the moment is intimate and didactic—requesting a boon of instruction before returning home.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Yama (implied as deva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The highest boon can be right knowledge—asking the right question to understand dharma and consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; the passage is part of a broader tīrtha-māhātmya discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it introduces an inquiry framed as a boon.