Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

ततो गते हृषीकेशे व्यासः पुत्रमुवाच ह । प्रस्थितं वनवासाय निःस्पृहं स्वगृहं प्रति

Transliteration

tato gate hṛṣīkeśe vyāsaḥ putramuvāca ha | prasthitaṃ vanavāsāya niḥspṛhaṃ svagṛhaṃ prati

Translation

ഹൃഷീകേശൻ പോയ ശേഷം വ്യാസൻ തന്റെ പുത്രനോട് പറഞ്ഞു—അവൻ വനവാസത്തിനായി പുറപ്പെട്ടവനും, സ്വന്തം ഗൃഹത്തോടും നിർസ്പൃഹനുമായിരുന്നവൻ.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereupon
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय/तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb)

• gate: when (he) had gone
• gate: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √gam (गम् धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• hṛṣīkeśe: when Hṛṣīkeśa (was gone)
• hṛṣīkeśe: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛṣīkeśa (हृषीकेश प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (with gate)

• vyāsaḥ: Vyāsa
• vyāsaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyāsa (व्यास प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• putram: (his) son
• putram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (पुत्र प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• uvāca: said/spoke
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• ha: indeed/forsooth
• ha: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ha (अव्यय)
• Form: स्मरण/वृत्तान्तसूचक-अव्यय (narrative particle)

• prasthitam: departed/setting out
• prasthitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-√sthā (स्था धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (putram)

• vanavāsāya: for forest-dwelling/exile
• vanavāsāya: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vana (वन प्रातिपदिक) + vāsa (वास प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: वने वासः (सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष); पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• niḥspṛham: desireless/unattached
• niḥspṛham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niḥspṛha (निःस्पृह प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (putram)

• svagṛham: (his) own home
• svagṛham: Karma (Goal as object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (स्व) + gṛha (गृह)
• Form: समासः: स्वं गृहं (कर्मधारय); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• prati: towards
• prati: Sambandha (Directional/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prati (अव्यय)
• Form: दिशार्थक-अव्यय (towards)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: After the divine departure, Vyāsa turns to his son, who stands ready for forest-life, carrying minimal belongings, gaze steady and detached from the home behind him.

Characters & Entities

• Hṛṣīkeśa
• Vyāsa
• Śuka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When detachment ripens, even the home loses its pull; yet elders still attempt to anchor the young in dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it sets the scene for instruction.