Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 38
Devanagari script
अप्राक्षीद्भूपतिः कूर्मं तदायुःकारणं तदा । इदमायुः कथं जातं कूर्म दीर्घतमं तव
Transliteration
aprākṣīdbhūpatiḥ kūrmaṃ tadāyuḥkāraṇaṃ tadā | idamāyuḥ kathaṃ jātaṃ kūrma dīrghatamaṃ tava
Translation
แล้วพระราชาทรงถามพญาเต่าเรื่องเหตุแห่งอายุยืนว่า “โอ้กูรมะ เหตุใดท่านจึงได้อายุยืนยาวนัก ยาวยิ่งนัก?”
Word by Word
अप्राक्षीत्asked
अप्राक्षीत्:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootप्रछ्/पृच्छ् (धातु)
Formलुङ् (Aorist), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद
भूपतिःthe king
भूपतिः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootभूपति (प्रातिपदिक; भू + पति)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
कूर्मम्the tortoise (Kūrma)
कूर्मम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootकूर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन
तत्that
तत्:
Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘आयुःकारणम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्
आयुःकारणम्the cause of (his) lifespan
आयुःकारणम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootआयुस् (प्रातिपदिक) + कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘आयुषः कारणम्’ (genitive-tatpurusha)
तदाthen
तदा:
Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतदा (अव्यय)
Formकालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)
इदम्this
इदम्:
Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootइदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘आयुः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्
आयुःlifespan
आयुः:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootआयुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन
कथम्how?
कथम्:
Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootकथम् (अव्यय)
Formप्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय
जातम्arisen, become
जातम्:
Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
TypeVerb
Rootजन् (धातु) → जात (कृदन्त, क्त)
Formभूतकृदन्त (past participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘आयुः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्
कूर्मO Kūrma
कूर्म:
Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
TypeNoun
Rootकूर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन
दीर्घतमम्the longest, very long
दीर्घतमम्:
Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootदीर्घ (प्रातिपदिक) → दीर्घतम (तमत्-प्रत्यय)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अतिशयवाचक (superlative)
तवof you, your
तव:
Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootयुष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formषष्ठी, एकवचन; सर्वनाम
Speaker
Narrator (contextual), with Indradyumna as questioner
Visual Art Cues
Scene: A king respectfully addresses a venerable tortoise, whose calm presence suggests hidden spiritual attainment; the moment is charged with curiosity and reverence.
Characters & Entities
I
IndradyumnaK
Kūrma (tortoise)FAQs
Purāṇic narratives often link longevity to dharma and past merit, inviting inquiry into ethical causes behind life’s fortunes.
No tīrtha is explicitly named in this verse.
None; it introduces a question about the cause of longevity.