Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

स्मरन्महायतिवचः पुत्रदर्शनलालसः । स तस्थौ वणिजो गेहे पुत्रभार्यासमन्वितः

Transliteration

smaranmahāyativacaḥ putradarśanalālasaḥ | sa tasthau vaṇijo gehe putrabhāryāsamanvitaḥ

Translation

เขาระลึกถึงวาจาแห่งมหาฤๅษีผู้บำเพ็ญตบะ ด้วยความใคร่ได้เห็นบุตร จึงพำนักอยู่ในเรือนพ่อค้าพร้อมภรรยา

Word by Word

• स्मरन्: remembering
• स्मरन्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), परस्मैपदी; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (present active participle, masculine nominative singular)

• महायति-वचः: the words of the great ascetic
• महायति-वचः: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महायति (प्रातिपदिक) + वचस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (महायतिवचः = महायतिवचांसि/महायतिवचनम् इत्यर्थे; here as object of स्मरन्); (neuter accusative singular)

• पुत्र-दर्शन-लालसः: eager to see his son
• पुत्र-दर्शन-लालसः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक) + लालस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (पुत्रदर्शनस्य लालसः); (masculine nominative singular)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (pronoun, masculine nominative singular)

• तस्थौ: stood / remained
• तस्थौ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परिपूर्णभूत/Perfect), परस्मैपदी; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; (perfect, 3rd person singular)

• वणिजः: of the merchant
• वणिजः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वणिज् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; (masculine genitive singular)

• गेहे: in the house
• गेहे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; (neuter locative singular)

• पुत्र-भार्या-समन्वितः: accompanied by (his) son and wife
• पुत्र-भार्या-समन्वितः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + भार्या (प्रातिपदिक) + समन्वित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (पुत्रभार्याभ्यां समन्वितः); (masculine nominative singular)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A weary traveler, remembering an ascetic’s words, stays in a merchant’s house with his wife—an intimate domestic pause amid a larger pilgrimage tale.

Characters & Entities

• Mahāyati (great ascetic/sage)
• Govindasvāmin
• Wife (bhāryā)
• Merchant (vaṇik)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holding to a saint’s guidance in times of loss sustains faith and steadiness; guru-vākya is treated as a reliable compass through suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Setu-kṣetra setting is implicit in Setukhaṇḍa, but no particular tīrtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated; the emphasis is on remembrance and faithful perseverance.