Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

यथाऽयं चिरजीवी स्यात्तथा नीतिर्विधीयताम् । अथ ते मुनयो भीता मिथ्या वाक्यस्य पार्थिव

Transliteration

yathā'yaṃ cirajīvī syāttathā nītirvidhīyatām | atha te munayo bhītā mithyā vākyasya pārthiva

Translation

“ഈ ബാലൻ ചിരഞ്ജീവിയാകുന്നതിന് ഒരു മാർഗം വിധിക്കപ്പെടട്ടെ.” ഹേ രാജാവേ, വാക്ക് മിഥ്യയാകുമോ എന്ന ഭയത്തിൽ മുനിമാർ ഭീതരായി.

Word by Word

• यथा: so that
• यथा: Sambandha (Clause marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार/उपमानबोधक-अव्यय (so that/as)

• अयम्: this (boy)
• अयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• चिर-जीवी: long-lived
• चिर-जीवी: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चिर (प्रातिपदिक) + जीविन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (चिरं जीवति)

• स्यात्: may be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: तद्वत्/एवम्-अर्थक-अव्यय (thus)

• नीतिः: means/plan
• नीतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नीति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• विधीयताम्: let (it) be arranged
• विधीयताम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-धा (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (let it be arranged)

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरबोधक-अव्यय

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

• मुनयः: sages
• मुनयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• भीताः: afraid
• भीताः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भी (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• मिथ्या: falsely
• मिथ्या: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मिथ्या (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), अर्थः—असत्यतया/falsehoodly

• वाक्यस्य: of the statement
• वाक्यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• पार्थिव: O king
• पार्थिव: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator voice (purāṇic narrator) describing the sages; address to a king indicates a kathā-frame

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣa ṛṣis / internal 'O king' addressee

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The speaker requests an ordained method for the child’s long life; the sages, anxious about their statement, confer and prepare to act.

Characters & Entities

• muni (sages)
• pārthiva (king)
• kumāra (implied child)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma includes safeguarding truth through righteous action—seeking a lawful remedy rather than accepting falsehood.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is within Arbuda-khaṇḍa (Mount Arbuda’s sacred tradition), but the verse highlights moral resolve more than a specific tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the request is for a divinely sanctioned ‘nīti’ (remedial ordinance).