Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

श्रीशुक उवाच । यदि स्यात्पुत्रतः स्वर्गः सर्वेषां स्यान्महामुने । शूकराणां शुनां चैव शलभानां विशेषतः

Transliteration

śrīśuka uvāca | yadi syātputrataḥ svargaḥ sarveṣāṃ syānmahāmune | śūkarāṇāṃ śunāṃ caiva śalabhānāṃ viśeṣataḥ

Translation

Śrī Śuka disse: «Se o céu fosse alcançado apenas por ter filhos, ó grande sábio, então o céu pertenceria a todos—especialmente aos porcos, aos cães e até às mariposas».

Word by Word

• śrīśukaḥ: Śrī Śuka
• śrīśukaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī-śuka (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेष-नाम

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदी

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (conditional)

• syāt: would be
• syāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदी

• putrataḥ: because of a son
• putrataḥ: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb) ‘-तः’; हेतौ/निमित्ते (on account of/from a son)

• svargaḥ: heaven
• svargaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• sarveṣām: for all / of all
• sarveṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (for all/of all)

• syāt: would be
• syāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदी

• mahāmune: O great sage
• mahāmune: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + muni (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• śūkarāṇām: of pigs/boars
• śūkarāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• śunām: of dogs
• śunām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śvan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; विशेष-प्रातिपदिक (irregular stem śvan)

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

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• śalabhānām: of locusts/grasshoppers
• śalabhānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śalabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• viśeṣataḥ: especially
• viśeṣataḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial modifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: viśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय ‘-तः’; विशेषार्थक (especially)

Speaker

Śrī Śuka

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahāmuni (addressed) / Vyāsa as dialogue partner

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śukadeva delivers a sharp logical point; behind him, symbolic animals (pig, dog, moth) appear in a thought-cloud ascending toward a ‘heaven’ gate, illustrating the absurdity; sages nod at the clarity.

Characters & Entities

• Śuka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual attainment cannot be reduced to a single external factor; dharma and inner quality matter beyond mere progeny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned; it is a doctrinal rebuttal within the dialogue.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it argues philosophically against an overly literal claim about svarga.