Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

अहो मे तनयोऽभीष्टः कथमद्य न दृश्यते । कूपांतः पतितः किं नु किं व्यालैर्वा निपातितः

Transliteration

aho me tanayo'bhīṣṭaḥ kathamadya na dṛśyate | kūpāṃtaḥ patitaḥ kiṃ nu kiṃ vyālairvā nipātitaḥ

Translation

ହାୟ! ମୋର ପ୍ରିୟ ପୁତ୍ର ଆଜି କାହିଁକି ଦେଖାଯାଉନାହିଁ? ସେ କି କୂପ ଭିତରେ ପଡ଼ିଗଲା, ନା କି କୌଣସି ହିଂସ୍ର ପଶୁ ତାକୁ ଆଘାତ କରି ଫେଲାଇଦେଲା?

Word by Word

• aho: alas! / oh!
• aho: Bhāva (Exclamation/भाव)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aho (अव्यय)
• Form: विस्मय/शोकसूचक-अव्यय (interjection)

• me: my
• me: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (enclitic)

• tanayaḥ: son
• tanayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tanaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• abhīṣṭaḥ: beloved, desired
• abhīṣṭaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: abhīṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (tanayaḥ)

• katham: how
• katham: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Interrogative adverb/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (how?)

• adya: today
• adya: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adya (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (today/now)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• dṛśyate: is seen / appears
• dṛśyate: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (passive: is seen)

• kūpa-antaḥ: inside the well
• kūpa-antaḥ: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kūpa (प्रातिपदिक) + anta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (kūpasya antaḥ = inside of the well)

• patitaḥ: fallen
• patitaḥ: Karta (Predicative to tanayaḥ)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pat (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• kim: what? / whether
• kim: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• nu: indeed? / I wonder
• nu: Prashna (Interrogative particle/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nu (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्न/संशयवर्धक-अव्यय (indeed? I wonder)

• kim: or what? / whether
• kim: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• vyālaiḥ: by wild beasts/serpents
• vyālaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया, बहुवचन

• vā: or
• vā: Vikalpa (Alternative/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (or)

• nipātitaḥ: thrown down
• nipātitaḥ: Karta (Predicative to tanayaḥ)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-pat (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि भावः (having been thrown down)

Speaker

Mṛkaṇḍa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Agnitīrtha region (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mṛkaṇḍa cries out, scanning a dark well mouth and the surrounding forest; shadows suggest lurking beasts; his face shows terror and love intertwined.

Characters & Entities

• Mṛkaṇḍa
• tanaya (son)
• kūpa (well)
• vyāla (wild beast/serpent)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Attachment and fear arise from love; Purāṇic dharma guides such anguish toward faith and right action.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of the Agnitīrtha-centered narrative stream, though it names no new tīrtha itself.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a spoken lament (vilāpa) by Mṛkaṇḍa.