Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

मम तातः कुरुक्षेत्रे शांडिल्यो मुनिसत्तमः । वानप्रस्थाश्रमेऽतिष्ठत्पूर्वे वयसि संस्थितः

Transliteration

mama tātaḥ kurukṣetre śāṃḍilyo munisattamaḥ | vānaprasthāśrame'tiṣṭhatpūrve vayasi saṃsthitaḥ

Translation

എന്റെ പിതാവ്—മുനിശ്രേഷ്ഠനായ ശാണ്ഡില്യൻ—കുരുക്ഷേത്രത്തിൽ വാനപ്രസ്ഥാശ്രമത്തിൽ, ജീവിതത്തിന്റെ മുൻ ഘട്ടത്തിൽ പ്രവേശിച്ച്, വസിച്ചിരുന്നു।

Word by Word

• मम: of me / my
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular), सर्वनाम (Pronoun)

• तातः: father
• तातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• कुरुक्षेत्रे: in Kurukṣetra
• कुरुक्षेत्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरुक्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• शांडिल्यः: Śāṇḍilya
• शांडिल्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाण्डिल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (proper name)

• मुनिसत्तमः: the best of sages
• मुनिसत्तमः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषणवत्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (muneḥ sत्तमः = best among sages)

• वानप्रस्थाश्रमे: in the vānaprastha hermitage
• वानप्रस्थाश्रमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वानप्रस्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वानप्रस्थस्य आश्रमः)

• अतिष्ठत्: stayed / dwelt
• अतिष्ठत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• पूर्वे: in earlier
• पूर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘वयसि’)

• वयसि: in age (youth)
• वयसि: Adhikarana (State/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• संस्थितः: situated / established
• संस्थितः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past Passive Participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (of ‘तातः/शाण्डिल्यः’)

Speaker

Śāṇḍilya (continuing narrative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kurukṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene forest-hermitage at Kurukṣetra: Śāṇḍilya in vānaprastha attire near a small agni-kuṇḍa, deer and peacocks at the edge of a sacred grove, distant suggestion of tīrtha waters.

Characters & Entities

• Śāṇḍilya
• Kurukṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Āśrama-dharma frames spiritual life: disciplined stages (like vānaprastha) support purity, teaching, and transmission of counsel.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kurukṣetra is explicitly mentioned as the sacred setting associated with the sage’s āśrama life.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed; the verse situates the narrative within the vānaprastha-āśrama framework.