Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

ततस्तौ दम्पती हृष्टौ यावद्वह्निसमीपगौ । संजातौ मरणार्थाय स च ताभ्यां समुद्भवः

Transliteration

tatastau dampatī hṛṣṭau yāvadvahnisamīpagau | saṃjātau maraṇārthāya sa ca tābhyāṃ samudbhavaḥ

Translation

ତାପରେ ସେଇ ଦମ୍ପତି ହର୍ଷିତ ହୋଇ ଅଗ୍ନିର ସମୀପକୁ ଗଲେ, ମରଣ ପାଇଁ ଉଦ୍ୟତ ହେଲେ; ଏବଂ ସେମାନଙ୍କଠାରୁ ଜନ୍ମିତ ପୁତ୍ର ମଧ୍ୟ ସେଠାରେ ଥିଲା।

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय/तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb); अनन्तरार्थे

• tau: those two
• tau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), द्विवचन

• dampatī: the couple
• dampatī: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dampatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (द्विवचन-प्रयोगः), प्रथमा (1), द्विवचन; दम्पती-शब्द

• hṛṣṭau: delighted
• hṛṣṭau: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hṛṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), द्विवचन

• yāvat: up to/as far as
• yāvat: Sambandha (Limit/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb/conjunction); ‘यावत्’ = यावदवधि/पर्यन्तम्

• vahni-samīpa-gau: near the fire
• vahni-samīpa-gau: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vahni (प्रातिपदिक) + samīpa (प्रातिपदिक) + ga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), द्विवचन; तत्पुरुषः (वह्नेः समीपे गच्छन्तौ/स्थितौ)

• saṃjātau: having become
• saṃjātau: Karta (State/कर्ता-भाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-jan (धातु) + kta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), द्विवचन

• maraṇa-arthāya: for the purpose of death
• maraṇa-arthāya: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maraṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (मरणस्य अर्थः) प्रयोजनार्थे

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• tābhyām: from those two
• tābhyām: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), द्विवचन; ‘those two’ (instrumental/ablative form)

• samudbhavaḥ: arising/origin
• samudbhavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sam-ud-bhū (धातु) + a (प्रातिपदिक-निर्माण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; भाववाचक/कर्तृवाचक नाम

Speaker

Sūta (narration)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Husband and wife, strangely radiant with resolve, stand at the edge of a roaring fire; their son stands close, torn between duty and grief; the moment freezes before the irreversible step.

Characters & Entities

• husband
• wife
• son
• fire (vahni)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Despair can masquerade as ‘religious resolve’; Purāṇic dharma redirects such impulses toward legitimate purification and restraint.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative is a lead-in to the tīrtha of Viṣṇupadī Gaṅgā in this kṣetra, presented as the true purifier.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new rite is prescribed here; it describes the approach to fire that will soon be countered by dharmic instruction.