Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

ये मृता राजशार्दूल ते नराः स्वर्ग गामिनः । उत्पाद्य पुत्रान्संस्थाप्य पितृपैतामहे पदे

Transliteration

ye mṛtā rājaśārdūla te narāḥ svarga gāminaḥ | utpādya putrānsaṃsthāpya pitṛpaitāmahe pade

Translation

ഹേ രാജശാർദൂലാ! ഈ പുണ്യസന്ദർഭത്തിൽ മരിക്കുന്ന പുരുഷന്മാർ സ്വർഗ്ഗഗാമികളാകുന്നു; പുത്രന്മാരെ ജനിപ്പിച്ച് അവരെ പിതൃ-പൈതാമഹ പദത്തിൽ സ്ഥാപിച്ച് വംശപരമ്പര തുടരുന്നു।

Word by Word

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• मृताः: died
• मृताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मृ (धातु) → मृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकालिक-कर्तरि कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• राजशार्दूल: O tiger among kings
• राजशार्दूल: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक) + शार्दूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (राजा एव शार्दूलः)

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

• नराः: men
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• स्वर्ग: to heaven
• स्वर्ग: Gati/Karma (Goal/गति-कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (गन्तव्य-रूपेण; गामिनः इत्यस्य उपपदम्)

• गामिनः: goers
• गामिनः: Predicate/Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गामिन् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √गम्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; वर्तमानकृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक (goer)

• उत्पाद्य: having begotten/produced
• उत्पाद्य: Purvakala-kriya
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत् + पद्/पाद् (धातु; causative √पद्/√पाद्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive), ‘उत्पाद्य’ = उत्पा(द)यित्वा-लोप; अर्थः ‘उत्पादयित्वा/जनयित्वा’

• पुत्रान्: sons
• पुत्रान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• संस्थाप्य: having established (them)
• संस्थाप्य: Purvakala-kriya
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive), ‘संस्थाप्य’ = संस्थापयित्वा (causative sense: having established)

• पितृपैतामहे: in the ancestral (father-and-grandfather)
• पितृपैतामहे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक) + पैतामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (पितृ च पैतामहं च)

• पदे: state/position
• पदे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

A narrator/teacher voice within the Vastrāpatha Māhātmya (contextual speaker not explicit in the excerpt)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (rājaśārdūla)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king listens as a sage describes men who die in the sacred precinct; behind them, a household scene shows sons performing ancestral rites, symbolizing ‘paitāmaha-pada’ continuity.

Characters & Entities

• rājā (king)
• svarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Punya connected with sacred death and righteous household duty culminates in svarga, especially when one sustains the ancestral line through dharmic progeny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Vastrāpatha kṣetra/mahātīrtha in Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa is being praised in this section.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific ritual is prescribed here; the verse emphasizes putra-dharma and ancestral establishment as a dharmic ideal.