Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 86

Devanagari script

पराशर उवाच । नाट्यमंडपिकादाहे यौ दूरं विद्रुतौ पुरा । तत्रावशिष्टौ तावेव कुक्कुटो मर्कटस्तथा

Transliteration

parāśara uvāca | nāṭyamaṃḍapikādāhe yau dūraṃ vidrutau purā | tatrāvaśiṣṭau tāveva kukkuṭo markaṭastathā

Translation

ปราศระกล่าวว่า: กาลก่อนเมื่อมณฑปการฟ้อนรำเล็ก ๆ กำลังไหม้ สองตัวได้วิ่งหนีไปไกล แต่ยังเหลืออยู่ ณ ที่นั้นเอง—ไก่ตัวผู้และวานรด้วย

Word by Word

• पराशरः: Parāśara
• पराशरः: Karta (Speaker/वक्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पराशर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद; अर्थः—"said"

• नाट्य: drama, performance
• नाट्य: Sambandha (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाट्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• मण्डपिका: pavilion, small hall
• मण्डपिका: Sambandha (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मण्डपिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• दाहे: in the burning (conflagration)
• दाहे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दाह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन; समासः—नाट्य-मण्डपिका-दाह (षष्ठी/सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषः: "in the burning of the theatre-pavilion")

• यौ: who (two)
• यौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); द्विवचन

• दूरम्: far away
• दूरम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावेन प्रयुक्तम्; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb): "far"

• विद्रुतौ: fled
• विद्रुतौ: Karta (Predicate adjective of subject/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-द्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle used adjectivally); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; द्विवचन; अर्थः—"having fled/ran away"

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Sambandha (Temporal/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb): "formerly"

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Adverbial location/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb): "there"

• अवशिष्टौ: remained
• अवशिष्टौ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव-शिष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle used adjectivally); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; द्विवचन; अर्थः—"remaining/left behind"

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); द्विवचन

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• कुक्कुटः: a rooster
• कुक्कुटः: Karta (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुक्कुट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• मर्कटः: a monkey
• मर्कटः: Karta (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्कट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• तथा: also, likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Conjunctive/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/प्रकार ("and also/likewise")

Speaker

Parāśara

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A small pavilion is ablaze; amid smoke and sparks, two figures flee into the distance while two animals—a rooster and a monkey—remain near the burning structure, foreshadowing karmic consequence.

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• kukkuṭa (rooster)
• markaṭa (monkey)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Puranic narratives trace beings across events and rebirths, preparing the teaching on how merit shapes future births.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it is part of a karmic backstory.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it sets up the later mention of rudrākṣa merit.