Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 61

Devanagari script

अशक्ता नगरं गंतुं बाल्यात्तत्रैव बभ्रमुः । दूरादुच्चार्यमाणानि स्वनामानि स्वबंधुभिः

Transliteration

aśaktā nagaraṃ gaṃtuṃ bālyāttatraiva babhramuḥ | dūrāduccāryamāṇāni svanāmāni svabaṃdhubhiḥ

Translation

Kerana masih terlalu kecil untuk pergi ke kota, mereka merayau di situ sahaja; dari jauh mereka mendengar nama mereka sendiri diseru oleh kaum keluarga.

Word by Word

• अशक्ताः: unable
• अशक्ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + शक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √शक्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ते/बालकाः) ‘unable’

• नगरम्: to the city
• नगरम्: Karma (Goal/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नगर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गन्तुम्: to go
• गन्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (Infinitive) ‘to go’

• बाल्यात्: due to (their) childhood
• बाल्यात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे ‘because of childhood’

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic/only)

• बभ्रमुः: wandered
• बभ्रमुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भ्रम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद; ‘wandered/roamed’

• दूरात्: from afar
• दूरात्: Kriya-viseshaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb) ‘from afar’

• उच्चार्यमाणानि: being called out
• उच्चार्यमाणानि: Kriya-viseshaṇa (Participial qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद् + चर् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शानच्/Present passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘being called/uttered’

• स्वनामानि: their own names
• स्वनामानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व + नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः ‘स्वानि नामानि’

• स्वबन्धुभिः: by their relatives
• स्वबन्धुभिः: Karaṇa (Agent in passive/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व + बन्धु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः ‘स्वैः बन्धुभिः’

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Setukhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The boys, too weak to walk back, wander near reeds and trees; in the distance, relatives call their names; the boys pause, listening, faces turning toward the sound—hope dawning.

Characters & Entities

• boys
• relatives (bandhu)
• city

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kinship-duty (bandhu-dharma) is praised—relatives do not abandon the vulnerable, and persistence becomes the means of reunion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it continues the Setukhaṇḍa episode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.