Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 86

Devanagari script

राजोवाच । एकात्मजो हि विप्रोयं कर्मणा नष्टसंततिः । कथं सुखं प्रपद्येत विना पुत्रेण तादृशः

Transliteration

rājovāca | ekātmajo hi viproyaṃ karmaṇā naṣṭasaṃtatiḥ | kathaṃ sukhaṃ prapadyeta vinā putreṇa tādṛśaḥ

Translation

王は言った。「このバラモンにはただ一人の子があったが、業（カルマ）の力によりその家系は断たれた。子なくして、かかる者がいかにして安楽を得ようか。」

Word by Word

• rājā: the king
• rājā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• eka-ātma-jaḥ: only son
• eka-ātma-jaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक) + ja (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक, √jan ‘to be born’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (एकस्य आत्मनः जातः)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय; हेतु/निश्चयार्थक

• vipraḥ: brahmin
• vipraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• ayam: this (one)
• ayam: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• karmaṇā: by (his) karma/deeds
• karmaṇā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• naṣṭa-saṃtatiḥ: one whose lineage is lost
• naṣṭa-saṃtatiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: naṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √naś ‘to perish’, भूतकृदन्त) + saṃtati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (नष्टा सा संततिः यस्य)

• katham: how
• katham: Sambandha (Interrogative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नाव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• sukham: happiness
• sukham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• prapadyeta: could attain
• prapadyeta: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√pad (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• vinā: without
• vinā: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vinā (अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्गसदृश अव्यय/पूर्वपद; वियोगार्थक (without)

• putreṇa: a son
• putreṇa: Sambandha (Accompaniment/वियोग-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; ‘vinā’ योगे साधारणतः तृतीया

• tādṛśaḥ: such (a man)
• tādṛśaḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tādṛśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Rājā (the King)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī / the assembly (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king in court questions sages/attendants about a brāhmaṇa whose only son is lost; the mood is grave, with gestures of inquiry and concern.

Characters & Entities

• Rājā
• Vipra (brāhmaṇa)
• Putra (son)
• Karma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly happiness and social continuity are portrayed as strongly tied to dharma and karma; suffering like loss of lineage is framed as karmic consequence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; the focus is on karmic causality and household dharma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated in this verse.