Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 77

Devanagari script

तत्राप्येकं मुनिसुतं स तोयेषु न्यमज्जयत् । केल्यर्थमागता दृष्ट्वा मुनिपुत्रा मृतं शिशुम्

Transliteration

tatrāpyekaṃ munisutaṃ sa toyeṣu nyamajjayat | kelyarthamāgatā dṛṣṭvā muniputrā mṛtaṃ śiśum

Translation

ณ ที่นั้น เขาได้จับบุตรชายของฤาษีจุ่มลงในน้ำ เมื่อธิดาของฤาษีมาเพื่อจะเล่นสนุก ก็ได้เห็นเด็กน้อยนอนสิ้นใจอยู่

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb: “there”)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle: “also/even”)

• एकम्: one
• एकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषण

• मुनिसुतम्: a sage’s son
• मुनिसुतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: “muni’s son”); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तोयेषु: in the waters
• तोयेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), बहुवचन

• न्यमज्जयत्: drowned / made (him) sink
• न्यमज्जयत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मज्ज् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect/past), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; causative sense in context “caused to sink/drowned”

• केल्यर्थम्: for play
• केल्यर्थम्: Hetu (Purpose/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केलि (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी/उद्देश्य-भाव: “for play’s purpose”); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणार्थे (adverbial accusative)

• आगताः: having come
• आगताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; “having come” (qualifies muniputrāḥ)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): “having seen”

• मुनिपुत्राः: the sages’ sons
• मुनिपुत्राः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: “sons of sages”); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन

• मृतम्: dead
• मृतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifies śiśum)

• शिशुम्: the child
• शिशुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिशु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narration; speaker not explicit in this snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setutīrtha (Setukṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred shoreline/ghāṭa at Setu: clear water, a small child submerged and then lying lifeless at the edge; distressed young women (muni-daughters) rush forward, hands raised in alarm; distant pilgrims and a faint temple silhouette.

Characters & Entities

• munisuta (sage’s son)
• muniputrāḥ (sage’s daughters)
• Duṣpaṇya (implied actor)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cruelty done even in play becomes grave pāpa and inevitably ripens into suffering through karma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage belongs to the Setukhaṇḍa, connected with Setu-kṣetra (Rāmeśvaram/Setubandha) and its surrounding sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is a narrative setup describing a sinful act and its immediate discovery.