Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

प्रययौ मंत्रिभिः सार्धं स्वां पुरीं तदनंतरम् । धर्मेण पालयामास राज्यं निहतकण्टकम्

Transliteration

prayayau maṃtribhiḥ sārdhaṃ svāṃ purīṃ tadanaṃtaram | dharmeṇa pālayāmāsa rājyaṃ nihatakaṇṭakam

Translation

Sesudah itu baginda berangkat bersama para menteri ke kotanya sendiri. Baginda memerintah kerajaan menurut dharma, menjadikannya bebas daripada ‘duri’ segala gangguan dan bencana.

Word by Word

• प्रययौ: went
• प्रययौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र√या (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मन्त्रिभिः: with ministers
• मन्त्रिभिः: Sahakari (Association/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्रिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• सार्धम्: together with
• सार्धम्: Sahakari (Association/सहकारी)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सार्धम् (अव्यय)
• Form: सह-अर्थक-अव्यय (adverb/preposition: 'together with')

• स्वाम्: his own
• स्वाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• पुरीम्: city
• पुरीम्: Karma (Goal/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्: immediately/thereupon (as part of compound)
• तत्: Sambandha (Modifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-पूर्वपद (tad- as indeclinable prefix in compound)

• अनन्तरम्: immediately after that
• अनन्तरम्: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (adverb)

• धर्मेण: by righteousness/justly
• धर्मेण: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• पालयामास: ruled/protected
• पालयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पाल् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Periphrastic perfect/परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; नामधातु-आमास-योग (पालय् + आमास)

• राज्यम्: kingdom
• राज्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• निहतकण्टकम्: with obstacles removed
• निहतकण्टकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निहत + कण्टक (प्रातिपदिक); निहत (नि√हन् क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-भाव: 'निहताः कण्टकाः यस्मिन्' (obstacles removed)

Speaker

Narrator

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas/ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dharmagupta returns with ministers to the fortified city; he sits in court dispensing justice, symbolically uprooting ‘thorns’—bandits and corrupt officials—restoring peace.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmagupta (implied continuation)
• Ministers

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred travel should culminate in righteous living—especially for rulers, whose devotion must express itself as dharmic governance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly the Setu pilgrimage is upheld, since the narrative presents dharmic kingship as a consequence of Setu worship and observances.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite; the prescription is ethical: protecting and ruling the kingdom in accordance with dharma.