Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

ईश्वरस्य धनुर्भग्नं जनकस्य गृहे स्थितम् । रामः पंचदशे वर्षे षड्वर्षां चैव मैथिलीम्

Transliteration

īśvarasya dhanurbhagnaṃ janakasya gṛhe sthitam | rāmaḥ paṃcadaśe varṣe ṣaḍvarṣāṃ caiva maithilīm

Translation

ജനകന്റെ ഗൃഹത്തിൽ ഈശ്വരന്റെ (ശിവന്റെ) ഭഗ്നധനുസ്സ് സൂക്ഷിച്ചിരുന്നതു; പതിനഞ്ചാം വയസ്സിൽ രാമൻ ആറുവയസ്സുള്ള മൈഥിലിയെ വധുവായി നേടി।

Word by Word

• ईश्वरस्य: of the Lord
• ईश्वरस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• धनुः: the bow
• धनुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhanus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भग्नम्: broken
• भग्नम्: Karta (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhagna (कृदन्त; √bhañj भञ्जने)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘धनुः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• जनकस्य: of Janaka
• जनकस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गृहे: in the house
• गृहे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• स्थितम्: placed/kept
• स्थितम्: Karta (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthita (कृदन्त; √sthā तिष्ठति)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘धनुः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• रामः: Rāma
• रामः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पंचदशे: in the fifteenth
• पंचदशे: Adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañcadaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (वर्ष-शब्दस्य विशेषणरूपेण), सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘वर्षे’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• वर्षे: year (at age)
• वर्षे: Adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• षड्वर्षाम्: six-year-old
• षड्वर्षाम्: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣaḍ-varṣā (प्रातिपदिक; षट् + वर्षा)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘मैथिलीम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (age)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• मैथिलीम्: Maithilī (Sītā)
• मैथिलीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maithilī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa; specific speaker not explicit in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mithilā (Videha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājan (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Royal hall of Mithilā: the massive Śiva-bow displayed; courtiers and sages present; youthful Rāma poised; Sītā nearby with garland; atmosphere of wonder as the bow’s fate turns.

Characters & Entities

• Janaka
• Rāma
• Sītā (Maithilī)
• Īśvara (the Lord)
• the Bow (Śiva’s bow, implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Merit and destiny converge when dharma and divine signs align; sacred tokens (like the Lord’s bow) become instruments for righteous union.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mithilā/Janaka’s realm is referenced by context, but no tīrtha-phala (pilgrimage merit) is explicitly stated in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it alludes to the svayaṃvara context centered on the Lord’s bow.