Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

पार्वत्युवाच । मम भाग्यवशात्पुत्रः कथमुत्संगमाहरेत् । न ह्यभाग्यवशात्पुंसां क्वापि सौख्यं निरन्तरम्

Transliteration

pārvatyuvāca | mama bhāgyavaśātputraḥ kathamutsaṃgamāharet | na hyabhāgyavaśātpuṃsāṃ kvāpi saukhyaṃ nirantaram

Translation

Pārvatī dit : «Par la force de ma bonne fortune, comment mon fils pourrait-il venir sur mes genoux ? Car pour ceux que la fortune délaisse, nulle part ne se trouve un bonheur durable.»

Word by Word

• पार्वती: Pārvatī
• पार्वती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular

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

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Genitive Singular (‘my’)

• भाग्यवशात्: due to (my) good fortune
• भाग्यवशात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाग्य + वश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान/हेतु), एकवचन — Masculine, Ablative, Singular; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (भाग्यस्य वशात्)

• पुत्रः: a son
• पुत्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Prashna (Interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्न-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• उत्सङ्गम्: lap / embrace
• उत्सङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्सङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आहरेत्: might bring / obtain
• आहरेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + हृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (सम्भावना/इच्छा), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन — Optative, active, 3rd person singular

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• अभाग्यवशात्: due to ill fortune
• अभाग्यवशात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अभाग्य + वश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Ablative, Singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (अभाग्यस्य वशात्)

• पुंसाम्: of men
• पुंसाम्: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुंस्/पुम्स् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• क्वापि: anywhere
• क्वापि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व (अव्यय) + अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय-समुच्चय (indefinite adverb: ‘anywhere’)

• सौख्यम्: happiness
• सौख्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• निरन्तरम्: continuous
• निरन्तरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निरन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Nominative, Singular; विशेषणं (सौख्यस्य)

Speaker

Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pārvatī speaks with tender sorrow and humility, questioning how her son could come to her lap by her fortune, and reflecting that the unlucky find no lasting happiness.

Characters & Entities

• Pārvatī
• putra (son)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly happiness is unstable; one should seek dharmic merit and divine grace rather than rely on fluctuating fortune.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

This verse is part of the Tīrthamāhātmya narrative setting; the specific tīrtha is not named in this single verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is stated here; it prepares the devotional mood for the forthcoming tīrtha-related merit narrative.