Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

अमृतस्रावि तद्वाक्यं श्रुत्वा पुत्रस्य स द्विजः । मृकंडो हर्षसंयुक्तो वाचमित्यब्रवीच्च तम्

Transliteration

amṛtasrāvi tadvākyaṃ śrutvā putrasya sa dvijaḥ | mṛkaṃḍo harṣasaṃyukto vācamityabravīcca tam

Translation

Entendant les paroles de son fils, douces comme l’ambroisie, le sage deux fois né Mṛkaṇḍu, rempli de joie, lui adressa alors une réponse.

Word by Word

• अमृतस्रावि: nectar-dripping, very sweet
• अमृतस्रावि: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमृत (प्रातिपदिक) + स्राविन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (अमृतं स्रवति इति), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (to तद्वाक्यम्)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (to वाक्यम्)

• वाक्यम्: speech/statement
• वाक्यम्: Karma (Object of श्रुत्वा)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• पुत्रस्य: of (his) son
• पुत्रस्य: Sambandha (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• द्विजः: the brāhmaṇa (twice-born)
• द्विजः: Karta (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मृकण्डः: Mṛkaṇḍa
• मृकण्डः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृकण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• हर्षसंयुक्तः: filled with joy
• हर्षसंयुक्तः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हर्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + संयुक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, युज्)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (हर्षेण संयुक्तः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (to मृकण्डः)

• वाचम्: words/speech
• वाचम्: Karma (Object of अब्रवीत्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Nipāta (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-निपात (quotative particle)

• अब्रवीत्: said/spoke
• अब्रवीत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• तम्: to him / that one
• तम्: Karma (Addressee/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (addressed as ‘pārthiva’ in nearby verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene āśrama: the twice-born sage Mṛkaṇḍu, face bright with joy, listens to his son’s nectar-like words and responds with affectionate gravity; ritual implements and a quiet forest backdrop suggest impending tapas and pilgrimage.

Characters & Entities

• Mṛkaṇḍu
• son (bālaka)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Words grounded in divine truth soothe suffering; Purāṇic dharma treats truthful speech as life-giving, like nectar.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No new site is named; the narrative continues within the Arbuda setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this verse transitions into Mṛkaṇḍu’s response after hearing the boon-related account.