Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

अनित्ये पुत्रि संसारे कन्यादानं ददाम्यहम् । श्वःकृत्यमद्य कुर्वीत पूर्वाह्णे चापराह्णिकम् । न हि प्रतीक्षते मृत्युः कृतं चास्य न चाकृतम्

Transliteration

anitye putri saṃsāre kanyādānaṃ dadāmyaham | śvaḥkṛtyamadya kurvīta pūrvāhṇe cāparāhṇikam | na hi pratīkṣate mṛtyuḥ kṛtaṃ cāsya na cākṛtam

Translation

‘मुली, हा संसार अनित्य आहे; मी तुझे कन्यादान करीन. उद्याचे कार्य आजच करावे, आणि अपराह्णाचेही पूर्वाह्णीच—कारण मृत्यू केलेले वा न केलेले याची वाट पाहत नाही.’

Word by Word

• अनित्ये: in (this) impermanent
• अनित्ये: Adhikarana (Context/location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमीविभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine/Neuter); विशेषण

• पुत्रि: O daughter
• पुत्रि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine)

• संसारे: in the world (cycle of existence)
• संसारे: Adhikarana (Location/context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संसार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमीविभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine)

• कन्यादानम्: giving away the daughter (in marriage)
• कन्यादानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीयाविभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter)

• ददामि: I give
• ददामि: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमाविभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• श्वःकृत्यम्: tomorrow's task
• श्वःकृत्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वः (अव्यय) + कृत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीयाविभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter)

• अद्य: today
• अद्य: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• कुर्वीत: should do
• कुर्वीत: Kriya (Injunctive/should-do action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• पूर्वाह्णे: in the forenoon
• पूर्वाह्णे: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्वाह्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमीविभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine)

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

• अपराह्णिकम्: afternoon duty/act
• अपराह्णिकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपराह्णिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीयाविभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• प्रतीक्षते: waits
• प्रतीक्षते: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-ईक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

• मृत्युः: death
• मृत्युः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमाविभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine)

• कृतम्: done
• कृतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (कृ धातु-क्त, कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle used adjectivally), द्वितीयाविभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter)

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

• अस्य: of him/for him
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठीविभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular), पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसक (contextual)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

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

• अकृतम्: not done, undone
• अकृतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-कृत (कृ धातु-क्त, कृदन्त; नञ्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (PPP) with नञ्-निषेध, द्वितीयाविभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter)

Speaker

King Śikhaṇḍī (implied: addressing his daughter)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: his daughter

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king-father instructs his daughter on impermanence: do tomorrow’s work today; death waits for none—spoken with grave calm.

Characters & Entities

• Śikhaṇḍī (implied)
• kanyā (daughter)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Because life is uncertain, dhārmic duties should be performed without delay.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is directly praised in this verse; it serves as dharma-instruction within the wider Revā/Hanūmanteśvara narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kanyādāna (the dhārmic act of giving a daughter in marriage) and the general injunction to perform duties promptly.