Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

अपुत्रो लभते पुत्रानधनो धनमाप्नुयात् । स्वल्पायुर्दीर्घमायु्ष्यं शत्रूणां चैव संक्षयम्

Transliteration

aputro labhate putrānadhano dhanamāpnuyāt | svalpāyurdīrghamāyu्ṣyaṃ śatrūṇāṃ caiva saṃkṣayam

Translation

L’infécond obtient des enfants; le pauvre atteint la richesse. Celui dont la vie est brève reçoit la longévité, et les ennemis eux aussi sont conduits au déclin.

Word by Word

• अपुत्रः: a sonless man
• अपुत्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अ (उपसर्ग/नञ्) + पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); नञ्-तत्पुरुषवत् नकारार्थ (a-bahuvrihi sense: ‘without a son’)

• लभते: obtains
• लभते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद (Ātmanepada), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• पुत्रान्: sons
• पुत्रान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• अधनः: a poor man
• अधनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अ (नञ्) + धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); ‘without wealth’

• धनम्: wealth
• धनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• आप्नुयात्: would obtain / may obtain
• आप्नुयात्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada)

• स्वल्पायुः: one of short life-span
• स्वल्पायुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वल्प (प्रातिपदिक) + आयुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); समासः कर्मधारय (स्वल्पं आयुः यस्य)

• दीर्घम्: long
• दीर्घम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीर्घ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (adjective) आयुष्यं-विशेषणम्

• आयुष्यम्: life-span, longevity
• आयुष्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• शत्रूणाम्: of enemies
• शत्रूणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत्रु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• च: and
• च: Samyojaka (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (emphasis)

• संक्षयम्: destruction, diminution
• संक्षयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संक्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Bhartṛyajña

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims at a Śaiva tīrtha receive boons symbolically: a childless couple blessed, a poor devotee offered coins/grain, an elder granted long life, foes receding—under the unseen gaze of Śiva.

Characters & Entities

• Śivarātri (context)
• Aśvasena (listener implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva-centered vrata unites worldly well-being with spiritual protection, supporting dharma in household life.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the promised fruits are tied to the Śivarātri observance.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse lists fruits (phala) of the Śivarātri vrata; the practice is implied from prior verses (jāgaraṇa with dāna/homa/japa).