Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

तस्य चायुःक्षयं याति सेवते यश्चितानलम् । तस्मात्तवायुर्हानिर्मा भूयादिति मया सुत

Transliteration

tasya cāyuḥkṣayaṃ yāti sevate yaścitānalam | tasmāttavāyurhānirmā bhūyāditi mayā suta

Translation

ചിതാഗ്നിയെ ആശ്രയിക്കുന്നവന്റെ ആയുസ്സ് ക്ഷയിക്കുന്നു. അതുകൊണ്ട്, പുത്രാ, നിന്റെ ആയുസ്സിന് ഹാനി വരാതിരിക്കുവാൻ ഞാൻ ഇങ്ങനെ പറഞ്ഞു.

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him/his
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; Masculine/Neuter Genitive Singular

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

• आयुःक्षयम्: loss/decay of lifespan
• आयुःक्षयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयुस् (प्रातिपदिक) + क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; Neuter Accusative Singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (आयुषः क्षयः)

• याति: goes/attains
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Parasmaipada

• सेवते: serves/associates with
• सेवते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सेव् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; Relative pronoun

• चितानलम्: funeral fire
• चितानलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चिता (प्रातिपदिक) + अनल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; Masculine Accusative Singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (चितायाः अनलः)

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/Reason)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात्-इति निपातवत्/अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगः; हेत्वर्थे (therefore/from that reason)

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; Genitive Singular

• आयुःहानिः: loss of lifespan
• आयुःहानिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयुस् (प्रातिपदिक) + हानि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; Feminine Nominative Singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (आयुषः हानिः)

• मा: do not
• मा: Pratiṣedha (Prohibition)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (prohibitive particle)

• भूयात्: should be/happen
• भूयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Parasmaipada

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/वाक्य-समाप्ति सूचक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Instrument/Agentive means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; Instrumental Singular

• सुत: O son
• सुत: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; Vocative Singular

Speaker

A brāhmaṇa father (speaking to his son, Vijayadatta, by context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A father admonishes his son, warning that resorting to pyre-fire shortens lifespan; the atmosphere is tense, with the shadow of the cremation-ground implied.

Characters & Entities

• Vijayadatta (son, implied)
• Brāhmaṇa father (implied)
• Citānala (cremation fire)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It warns that engaging with impure rites (like pyre-fire) against dharma is believed to diminish vitality and should be avoided.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu (Rāmeśvaram/Setubandha region) is the broader setting of the Setu Māhātmya, though this verse focuses on conduct rather than praising a specific spot.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implicit prohibition: do not ‘use’ or ‘resort to’ cremation-fire due to impurity and harmful karmic/āyus effects.