Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 128

Devanagari script

यावल्लोका वदिष्यंति मत्कथां वानरर्षभ । तावत्त्वं धारय प्राणान्प्रतिज्ञां प्रतिपालयन्

Transliteration

yāvallokā vadiṣyaṃti matkathāṃ vānararṣabha | tāvattvaṃ dhāraya prāṇānpratijñāṃ pratipālayan

Translation

हे वानरश्रेष्ठा! जोपर्यंत लोक माझी कथा सांगतील, तोपर्यंत तू प्राण धारण कर; प्रतिज्ञेचे निष्ठेने पालन करीत।

Word by Word

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Sambandha (Temporal correlation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/सम्बन्ध-शब्द)
• Form: अव्यय; यावत्-तावत् सम्बन्धे (as long as)

• लोकाः: people / worlds
• लोकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-बहुवचन (Nominative plural)

• वदिष्यन्ति: will speak
• वदिष्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (simple future); प्रथम-पुरुष; बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• मत्: my
• मत्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी-एकवचनार्थे अव्ययवत्-पूर्वपद (my)

• कथाम्: story
• कथाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• वानरर्षभ: O best of monkeys
• वानरर्षभ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वानर (प्रातिपदिक) + ऋषभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-एकवचन (Vocative singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वानराणाम् ऋषभः)

• तावत्: so long
• तावत्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तावत् (so long)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• धारय: hold / sustain
• धारय: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative); मध्यम-पुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• प्राणान्: life-breaths / life
• प्राणान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-बहुवचन (Accusative plural)

• प्रतिज्ञाम्: promise
• प्रतिज्ञाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रतिज्ञा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• प्रतिपालयन्: while keeping / fulfilling
• प्रतिपालयन्: Karta (Agent as participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रतिपाल् (धातु) → प्रतिपालयत् (शतृ)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ/Present active participle); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन; कर्तरि; विशेषणरूपेण (qualifying त्वम्)

Speaker

Rāma

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ayodhyā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāma speaks a cosmic-sounding boon: ‘As long as my story is told in the worlds, you shall live.’ The background can subtly show multiple realms—earthly listeners, sages, and distant celestial silhouettes—suggesting the spread of kathā.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Hanumān (vānararṣabha)
• Rāma-kathā
• Lokāḥ

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred narration (Rāma-kathā) sustains dharma across ages; Hanumān embodies enduring devotion tied to the living tradition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ayodhyā, whose Rāma-kathā becomes an eternal current in the world, extending the city’s spiritual influence through time.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, kathā-śravaṇa/kīrtana (hearing and reciting Rāma’s story) is upheld as a sustaining spiritual practice, though no formal rite is detailed.