Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

मम मंत्रिवरा यूयं विलंबं त्यजताधुना । इत्युक्ता मंत्रिणः काष्ठं समानिन्युः क्षणेन ते

Transliteration

mama maṃtrivarā yūyaṃ vilaṃbaṃ tyajatādhunā | ityuktā maṃtriṇaḥ kāṣṭhaṃ samāninyuḥ kṣaṇena te

Translation

നിങ്ങൾ എന്റെ ശ്രേഷ്ഠ മന്ത്രിമാരാണ്—ഇപ്പോൾ തന്നെ താമസം ഉപേക്ഷിക്കുവിൻ. ഇങ്ങനെ പറഞ്ഞപ്പോൾ ആ മന്ത്രിമാർ ക്ഷണത്തിൽ വിറകുകൾ കൊണ്ടുവന്നു.

Word by Word

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-एकवचन (Genitive singular), सर्वनाम; संबोधनसम्बन्धे (possessive)

• मंत्रिवराः: O best ministers
• मंत्रिवराः: Sambodhana/Address (Vocative sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मंत्रिन् + वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (श्रेष्ठाः मन्त्रिणः)

• यूयम्: you (all)
• यूयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• विलंबम्: delay
• विलंबम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विलम्ब (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• त्यजत: abandon
• त्यजत: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• अधुना: now
• अधुना: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अधुना (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; वाक्यसमाप्ति/उद्धरणसूचक (quotative particle)

• उक्ताः: having been told / addressed
• उक्ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृत् (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• मंत्रिणः: the ministers
• मंत्रिणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मंत्रिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन

• काष्ठम्: wood
• काष्ठम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन (collective)

• सम्: together/fully (prefix)
• सम्: Upasarga (Verbal prefix)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् (उपसर्ग)
• Form: उपसर्ग (preverb)

• आनिन्युः: brought
• आनिन्युः: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (धातु) उपसर्ग-आ; (सम्+आ+नी)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• क्षणेन: in a moment
• क्षणेन: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; कालपरिमाणे (within a moment)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

Speaker

Narrator (quoting Śaṅkara, then describing ministers’ action)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setukṣetra (Setubandha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ministers, addressed as the king’s best, immediately mobilize—carrying wood swiftly to prepare the blazing fire for the king’s intended act.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara (Pāṇḍya king)
• ministers
• wood (kāṣṭha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Loyal service responds swiftly to authority; Purāṇic narratives also highlight how haste can intensify karmic turning-points.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu-kṣetra (Setukhaṇḍa) remains the setting, though no explicit tīrtha praise appears in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Only the practical act of gathering wood for a fire is mentioned.