Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

सोऽहं सस्यं प्रदास्यामि ग्रामान्व्रीहीन्यवानपि । मम वाक्यादसंदिग्धं त्यजर्ध्वं मृतबालकम्

Transliteration

so'haṃ sasyaṃ pradāsyāmi grāmānvrīhīnyavānapi | mama vākyādasaṃdigdhaṃ tyajardhvaṃ mṛtabālakam

Translation

「我は穀物を与えよう――村々も、米も、大麦も。わが言葉を疑いなく信じよ。死せる幼子を捨て去れ。」

Word by Word

• saḥ: I (that one)
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• sasyam: grain/crops
• sasyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sasya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• pradāsyāmi: I will give
• pradāsyāmi: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + dā (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• grāmān: villages
• grāmān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: grāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• vrīhīn: rice
• vrīhīn: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrīhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• yavān: barley
• yavān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle): अपि (also/even)

• mama: of me/my
• mama: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन; उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम

• vākyāt: from my word/command
• vākyāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vākya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (on account of/from my word)

• asaṃdigdham: certainly/without doubt
• asaṃdigdham: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial qualifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- (निषेध) + saṃdigdha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (undoubted/certain)

• tyajadhvam: abandon/leave
• tyajadhvam: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tyaj (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• mṛta-bālakam: the dead child
• mṛta-bālakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛta (mṛ + kta) + bālaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (dead + child); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Vṛṣādarbhī (King)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The offending sages/ascetics

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king promises abundant grain—villages, rice, barley—gesturing compassionately while ordering them to abandon the corpse.

Characters & Entities

• Vṛṣādarbhī
• vrīhi (rice)
• yava (barley)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Compassionate giving (dāna) and protection of life are superior responses to crisis, restoring dharma through sustenance and restraint.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not directly; the verse highlights dharmic kingship within the tīrtha-māhātmya narrative setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna is implied: offering grain (sasya), rice (vrīhi), and barley (yava), and stopping an impure act.