Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

ऋषय ऊचुः अत्याश्चर्यमिदं सूत यत्त्वया परिकीर्तितम् । आयुषोऽप्यधिकं मर्त्यो जीवते यदि मानवः

Transliteration

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ atyāścaryamidaṃ sūta yattvayā parikīrtitam | āyuṣo'pyadhikaṃ martyo jīvate yadi mānavaḥ

Translation

ഋഷികൾ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ സൂതാ! നീ പ്രസ്താവിച്ചതത് അത്യന്തം അത്ഭുതകരം; മനുഷ്യൻ മർത്ത്യനായിട്ടും ആയുസ്സിനെക്കാൾ അധികം ജീവിക്കുമോ?

Word by Word

• ṛṣayaḥ: sages
• ṛṣayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ati-āścaryam: very wonderful (thing)
• ati-āścaryam: Karma/Viṣaya (Object/content/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ati (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + āścarya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• idam: this
• idam: Karma/Viṣaya (Object/content/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• sūta: O Sūta
• sūta: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• yat: which (that)
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• parikīrtitam: has been proclaimed
• parikīrtitam: Kriyā (Predicative/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-√kīrt (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• āyuṣaḥ: of lifespan
• āyuṣaḥ: Sambandha (Reference/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āyus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अपि-निपात (particle: 'even')

• adhikam: more/exceeding
• adhikam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adhika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifying implied measure: 'more than')

• martyaḥ: a mortal
• martyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: martya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• jīvate: lives
• jīvate: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jīv (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (conditional particle: 'if')

• mānavaḥ: a human
• mānavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Ṛṣis (sages) addressing Sūta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of sages seated in a forest hermitage, turning toward Sūta with raised brows and folded hands, expressing astonishment; Sūta sits poised to answer, with manuscripts and a sacrificial fire nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣis
• Sūta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic teaching invites inquiry: extraordinary spiritual claims are presented within a respectful teacher–disciple dialogue.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ongoing narrative concerns the Adhyāya 29 kṣetra (Hāṭakeśvara/Siddheśvara context), though this verse itself is a dialogue reaction.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None newly; it refers back to the claim that mantra-japa can extend lifespan.