Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

अथ कालेन महता पितरौ तस्य तौ प्रिये । वार्द्धक्यभावमापन्नौ भर्तव्यौ तस्य विह्वलौ

Transliteration

atha kālena mahatā pitarau tasya tau priye | vārddhakyabhāvamāpannau bhartavyau tasya vihvalau

Translation

വളരെ കാലം കഴിഞ്ഞപ്പോൾ അവന്റെ പ്രിയ മാതാപിതാക്കൾ വാർദ്ധക്യാവസ്ഥയിൽ എത്തി. ദുർബലരും വ്യാകുലരുമായി, പോഷണത്തിനായി അവനിൽ ആശ്രിതരായി.

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Avyaya (Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (then/thereupon)

• कालेन: with time / by time
• कालेन: Karana (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महता: great/long
• महता: Karana (Instrument qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• पितरौ: (his) two parents
• पितरौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; सर्वनाम

• प्रिये: dear/beloved
• प्रिये: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; विशेषण

• वार्द्धक्यभावम्: the state of old age
• वार्द्धक्यभावम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वार्द्धक्य + भाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वार्द्धक्यस्य भावः)

• आपन्नौ: having fallen into / having reached
• आपन्नौ: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आपन्न (कृदन्त; √आपद्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; विशेषण

• भर्तव्यौ: to be maintained/supported
• भर्तव्यौ: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भर्तव्य (कृदन्त; √भृ)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/obligatory), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (to be supported)

• तस्य: by him/of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Agent/possessor of duty)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• विह्वलौ: distressed/helpless
• विह्वलौ: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विह्वल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Narrator (within Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An aged couple, frail and leaning, seated in a modest home; the son stands apart, conflicted—compassionate duty shadowed by impending wrongdoing.

Characters & Entities

• pitarau (parents)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It highlights pitṛ-sevā—supporting one’s aged parents—as a foundational duty that frames later moral consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader narrative belongs to the Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya, praising the sacred region of Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse emphasizes the dharmic obligation of maintaining elderly parents.