Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

पुत्रमापृच्छय नंदस्तं प्रययौ तपसे वनम् । गते पितरि पुत्रोऽपि धर्मगुप्तो नृपो द्विजाः

Transliteration

putramāpṛcchaya naṃdastaṃ prayayau tapase vanam | gate pitari putro'pi dharmagupto nṛpo dvijāḥ

Translation

പുത്രനോട് വിടപറഞ്ഞ് നന്ദൻ തപസ്സിനായി വനത്തിലേക്കു പോയി. പിതാവ് പോയശേഷം പുത്രനും—ഹേ ദ്വിജന്മാരേ, രാജാ ധർമഗുപ്തൻ—

Word by Word

• पुत्रम्: son
• पुत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• आपृच्छ्य: having asked/after taking leave
• आपृच्छ्य: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ√पृच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया; धातु: पृच्छ्, उपसर्ग: आ

• नन्दः: Nanda
• नन्दः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रययौ: went forth
• प्रययौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र√या (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तपसे: for austerity
• तपसे: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative), एकवचन

• वनम्: to the forest
• वनम्: Karma (Goal/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गते: when (he) had gone
• गते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (Past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• पितरि: when the father (was gone)
• पितरि: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी

• पुत्रः: the son
• पुत्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-भाव

• धर्मगुप्तः: Dharmagupta
• धर्मगुप्तः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म + गुप्त (प्रातिपदिक); गुप्त (√गुप् क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (धर्मेण/धर्मस्य गुप्तः)

• नृपः: king
• नृपः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• द्विजाः: O twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संबोधनार्थे (vocative-sense)

Speaker

Narrator (addressing brāhmaṇas as audience)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas/ṛṣis (addressed as ‘dvijāḥ’, ‘viprāḥ’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An aged king Nanda, after blessing and taking leave of his son, turns toward a forest path with ascetic resolve; the prince remains in the palace court, poised to assume dharmic rule.

Characters & Entities

• Nanda
• Dharmagupta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A dharmic life includes both worldly duty and renunciation: the father turns to tapas, while the son assumes righteous responsibility.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader Setu region remains the backdrop; the verse continues the post-pilgrimage narrative after Dhanuṣkoṭi and Rāmanātha worship.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) undertaken in the forest as a disciplined spiritual practice.