Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

वयं चैव मनुष्याणां तेन वः शरणं गताः । पितर ऊचुः । अस्माकमपि चैवैषा कष्टावस्था प्रजायते

Transliteration

vayaṃ caiva manuṣyāṇāṃ tena vaḥ śaraṇaṃ gatāḥ | pitara ūcuḥ | asmākamapi caivaiṣā kaṣṭāvasthā prajāyate

Translation

Kami ini ialah Pitṛ, para leluhur manusia; maka kerana itu kami datang berlindung kepada kamu. Para Pitṛ berkata: “Bagi kami juga, keadaan yang amat perit ini timbul.”

Word by Word

• vayam: we
• vayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (pronoun, nom. pl.)

• ca: and
• ca: Avyaya (Connector/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-बोधक (conjunction ‘and’)

• eva: indeed, just
• eva: Avyaya (Emphasis/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (particle ‘indeed/only’)

• manuṣyāṇām: of humans
• manuṣyāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manuṣya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (gen. pl.)

• tena: therefore / by that
• tena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (instr. sg.)

• vaḥ: you (all)
• vaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuṣmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative) बहुवचन (enclitic; acc. pl.)

• śaraṇam: refuge
• śaraṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (acc. sg.)

• gatāḥ: (we) have gone / have resorted
• gatāḥ: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु) + gata (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘गच्छ्’ धातोः (having gone)

• pitaraḥ: the Pitṛs
• pitaraḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (nom. pl.)

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद (they said)

• asmākam: of us
• asmākam: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (gen. pl.)

• api: also
• api: Avyaya (Modifier/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-कार (particle ‘also/even’)

• ca: and
• ca: Avyaya (Connector/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-बोधक (and)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Avyaya (Emphasis/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (indeed)

• eṣā: this
• eṣā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (fem. nom. sg.)

• kaṣṭāvasthā: a difficult condition
• kaṣṭāvasthā: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaṣṭa-avasthā (प्रातिपदिक: kaṣṭa + avasthā)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (‘kaṣṭā’ qualifying ‘avasthā’)

• prajāyate: arises
• prajāyate: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (arises/is produced)

Speaker

Narrative pivot: Pitṛs (humans’ ancestors) and then ‘Pitara ūcuḥ’ (Pitṛs replying)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A turning point: the speakers declare themselves pitṛs of humans and seek refuge; then the Pitṛs respond that they too experience the same painful condition—creating a poignant chain of shared vulnerability.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Humans (manuṣyāḥ)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ancestral welfare is interconnected across tiers of Pitṛs; seeking refuge indicates a structured cosmic order where remedies flow through dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it continues the chapter’s tīrtha-context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the narrative prepares for explaining the cause and remedy—typically śrāddha/tarpaṇa.