Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

न धनं पैतृकं पुत्रैर्न पिता पुत्रपौत्रिकम् । भुञ्जते सकलं कालमित्येवं शङ्करोऽब्रवीत्

Transliteration

na dhanaṃ paitṛkaṃ putrairna pitā putrapautrikam | bhuñjate sakalaṃ kālamityevaṃ śaṅkaro'bravīt

Translation

“പുത്രന്മാർ പൈതൃകധനം അനുഭവിക്കുന്നില്ല; പിതാവും പുത്ര-പൗത്രധനം അനുഭവിക്കുന്നില്ല; സകലകാലവും ഇങ്ങനെ തന്നേ”—എന്ന് ശങ്കരൻ (ശിവൻ) അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു.

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• धनम्: wealth
• धनम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• पैतृकम्: paternal/ancestral
• पैतृकम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पैतृक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular; धनम्-विशेषण

• पुत्रैः: by the sons
• पुत्रैः: Kartā (Agent, expressed instrumentally)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• न: nor/not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• पिता: the father
• पिता: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पुत्रपौत्रिकम्: (wealth) belonging to sons and grandsons
• पुत्रपौत्रिकम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + पौत्रिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (पुत्राश्च पौत्राश्च); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• भुञ्जते: enjoy/use
• भुञ्जते: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद — Present, 3rd person, Plural (Ātmanepada)

• सकलम्: entire
• सकलम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सकल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular; कालम्-विशेषण

• कालम्: time
• कालम्: Kāla (Duration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (काल-अत्यन्तसंयोग), एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular (duration)

• इति: thus
• इति: Vākyārtha-sūcaka (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/समाप्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• एवम्: in this way
• एवम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (manner adverb)

• शङ्करः: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• शङ्करः: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अब्रवीत्: said
• अब्रवीत्: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist/Imperfective past), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Aorist, 3rd person, Singular

Speaker

Śaṅkara (Śiva) (explicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva as Śaṅkara delivering calm instruction—seated in yogic poise, crescent moon and gaṅgā in hair; listeners attentive; symbolic piles of coins shown as transient (scattering or fading).

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Pitṛ (father)
• Putra (son)
• Pautra (grandson)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Wealth is unstable across generations; one should practice dharma and detachment rather than rely on inheritance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This is a doctrinal bridge within the Revā-khaṇḍa narrative, preceding tīrtha-specific merit statements.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a teaching (upadeśa) on artha’s impermanence.