Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

इत्याकर्ण्य यमः शापं मातर्यतिविशंकितः । अभ्येत्य पितरं प्राह प्रणिपातपुरस्सरम्

Transliteration

ityākarṇya yamaḥ śāpaṃ mātaryativiśaṃkitaḥ | abhyetya pitaraṃ prāha praṇipātapurassaram

Translation

ആ ശാപം കേട്ട യമൻ മാതാവിനെക്കുറിച്ച് അത്യന്തം ആശങ്കപ്പെട്ടു. പിതാവിന്റെ അടുക്കൽ ചെന്നു ആദ്യം നമസ്കരിച്ചു ശേഷം പറഞ്ഞു.

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-शब्दः (quotative particle)

• ākarṇya: having heard
• ākarṇya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (पूर्वक्रिया/Adverbial to main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā√karṇ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive); पूर्वक्रिया; ‘आकर्ण्य’ = having heard

• yamaḥ: Yama
• yamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• śāpam: curse
• śāpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• mātari: in/with regard to (his) mother
• mātari: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन

• ati-viśaṅkitaḥ: greatly anxious/very apprehensive
• ati-viśaṅkitaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of yamaḥ/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ati (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + viśaṅkita (कृदन्त; √śaṅk)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; ‘अति’ उपसर्गार्थे = अत्यन्तम्

• abhyetya: having approached
• abhyetya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (पूर्वक्रिया/Adverbial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: abhi√i (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Gerund/Absolutive); ‘अभ्येत्य’ = having approached

• pitaram: (his) father
• pitaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• prāha: said/spoke
• prāha: Kriyā (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ah (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• praṇipāta-purassaram: with prostration in front/preceded by obeisance
• praṇipāta-purassaram: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner/रीति)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: praṇipāta (प्रातिपदिक) + purassara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (पूर्वक-भावः: ‘प्रणिपातः पुरः यस्य/येन’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (adverbial accusative)

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yama, visibly troubled, approaches his father with folded hands and bows before speaking; a court-like divine setting emphasizing hierarchy and restraint.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Mother (Saṃjñā/Chāyā context)
• Father (Vivasvān/Sūrya context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even powerful beings uphold dharma by approaching elders with humility; reverence precedes inquiry.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is narrative within Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa; no specific tīrtha is explicitly praised in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; the conduct shown is ethical—praṇipāta (respectful prostration) before speaking.