Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

अमृतस्रावि तद्वाक्यं श्रुत्वा पुत्रस्य स द्विजः । मृकंडो हर्षसंयुक्तो वाचमित्यब्रवीच्च तम्

Transliteration

amṛtasrāvi tadvākyaṃ śrutvā putrasya sa dvijaḥ | mṛkaṃḍo harṣasaṃyukto vācamityabravīcca tam

Translation

പുത്രന്റെ അമൃതധാരപോലെയുള്ള മധുരവാക്യം ശ്രവിച്ച ദ്വിജൻ മൃകണ്ഡു ഹർഷപരിപൂർണ്ണനായി അവനോട് മറുപടി പറഞ്ഞു।

Word by Word

• अमृतस्रावि: nectar-dripping, very sweet
• अमृतस्रावि: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमृत (प्रातिपदिक) + स्राविन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (अमृतं स्रवति इति), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (to तद्वाक्यम्)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (to वाक्यम्)

• वाक्यम्: speech/statement
• वाक्यम्: Karma (Object of श्रुत्वा)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• पुत्रस्य: of (his) son
• पुत्रस्य: Sambandha (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• द्विजः: the brāhmaṇa (twice-born)
• द्विजः: Karta (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मृकण्डः: Mṛkaṇḍa
• मृकण्डः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृकण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• हर्षसंयुक्तः: filled with joy
• हर्षसंयुक्तः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हर्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + संयुक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, युज्)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (हर्षेण संयुक्तः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (to मृकण्डः)

• वाचम्: words/speech
• वाचम्: Karma (Object of अब्रवीत्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Nipāta (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-निपात (quotative particle)

• अब्रवीत्: said/spoke
• अब्रवीत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

• तम्: to him / that one
• तम्: Karma (Addressee/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (addressed as ‘pārthiva’ in nearby verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene āśrama: the twice-born sage Mṛkaṇḍu, face bright with joy, listens to his son’s nectar-like words and responds with affectionate gravity; ritual implements and a quiet forest backdrop suggest impending tapas and pilgrimage.

Characters & Entities

• Mṛkaṇḍu
• son (bālaka)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Words grounded in divine truth soothe suffering; Purāṇic dharma treats truthful speech as life-giving, like nectar.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No new site is named; the narrative continues within the Arbuda setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this verse transitions into Mṛkaṇḍu’s response after hearing the boon-related account.