Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

त्वां तु मे पश्यतो वत्से दिनानि सुबहून्यपि । मुहूर्तेन समानि स्युः किंतु धर्मो विलुप्यते

Transliteration

tvāṃ tu me paśyato vatse dināni subahūnyapi | muhūrtena samāni syuḥ kiṃtu dharmo vilupyate

Translation

“ವತ್ಸೆ, ನಿನ್ನನ್ನು ನೋಡುತ್ತಿರಲು ನನಗೆ ಅನೇಕ ದಿನಗಳೂ ಒಂದು ಮುಹೂರ್ತದಂತೆ ಕಳೆಯುತ್ತವೆ; ಆದರೆ ಈ ಸ್ಥಿತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಧರ್ಮವು ಲೋಪವಾಗಿ ಕ್ಷೀಣಿಸುತ್ತಿದೆ.”

Word by Word

• त्वाम्: you
• त्वाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम (2nd person pronoun), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• तु: but
• तु: Sambandha (Contrast)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (contrastive particle)

• मे: my; to me
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor/Experiencer)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी (6th/4th Gen/Dat), एकवचन; enclitic form

• पश्यतः: while (I am) seeing
• पश्यतः: Sambandha (Genitive absolute-like: 'while I see')
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पश्यत् (प्रातिपदिक; दृश् धातु-शतृ)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• वत्से: dear child
• वत्से: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वत्स (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• दिनानि: days
• दिनानि: Karta (Subject of syuḥ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), बहुवचन

• सुबहूनि: very many
• सुबहूनि: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुबहु (प्रातिपदिक; सु + बहु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (सु + बहु = very many)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle: even/also)

• मुहूर्तेन: by a moment
• मुहूर्तेन: Karana (Measure/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुहूर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• समानि: equal
• समानि: Karta (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• स्युः: would be
• स्युः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• किंतु: but
• किंतु: Sambandha (Contrast)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किंतु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adversative conjunction)

• धर्मः: dharma; righteousness
• धर्मः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• विलुप्यते: is destroyed; disappears
• विलुप्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + लुप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (passive-like sense: 'is lost')

Speaker

Viśvakarmā (to his daughter Saṃjñā)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A father gazes lovingly at his daughter; the scene is tender, yet his face shows worry as he speaks of dharma diminishing—love and moral urgency in one frame.

Characters & Entities

• Viśvakarmā
• Saṃjñā
• Dharma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Affection cannot replace righteousness; when duty is neglected, dharma itself declines despite personal comfort.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned in this verse; it is a dharma-centered admonition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse stresses restoring dharma rather than detailing a specific rite.