Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

इत्याकर्ण्य वचस्तेषां लज्जितोऽहं भृशंतदा । विस्मितश्च प्रणम्यैतान्पितॄन्स्वं स्थानमागतः

Transliteration

ityākarṇya vacasteṣāṃ lajjito'haṃ bhṛśaṃtadā | vismitaśca praṇamyaitānpitṝnsvaṃ sthānamāgataḥ

Translation

ครั้นได้ฟังถ้อยคำของท่านทั้งหลาย ข้าพเจ้าก็ละอายยิ่งนักในกาลนั้น; และด้วยความพิศวง ข้าพเจ้ากราบนอบน้อมปิตฤเหล่านั้น แล้วกลับไปยังที่ของตน

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Vākyārtha-nirdeśa (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, उद्धरणसूचक

• ākarṇya: having heard
• ākarṇya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√kṛṇ/√karṇ (धातु, श्रवणे)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), ‘आकर्ण्य’ = श्रुत्वा (having heard)

• vacaḥ: the words
• vacaḥ: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• lajjitaḥ: ashamed
• lajjitaḥ: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate to aham)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: lajjita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) < √lajj (धातु)
• Form: क्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तरि भावे (predicate)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• bhṛśam: greatly
• bhṛśam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Intensity)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhṛśam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रियाविशेषण

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक (time adverb)

• vismitaḥ: astonished
• vismitaḥ: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate to aham)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vismita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) < vi-√smi (धातु)
• Form: क्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय (conjunction)

• praṇamya: having bowed
• praṇamya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√nam (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), नमस्कृत्वा

• etān: these
• etān: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचन

• pitṝn: forefathers
• pitṝn: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; etān इत्यस्य विशेष्य

• svam: one’s own
• svam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (sthānam)

• sthānam: place/abode
• sthānam: Karma (Goal as object with motion verb)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• āgataḥ: (I) returned/came
• āgataḥ: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: āgata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) < ā-√gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त (PPP) used predicatively, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘आगतः (अस्मि)’ implied

Speaker

Narrator (male devotee/householder within the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa episode; speaker not explicitly named in this snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The narrator, hearing the Pitṛs’ explanation, lowers his head in shame and awe, offers pranāma to the Pitṛs, and withdraws back to his abode.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs (ancestors)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True dharma begins with humility—when corrected by elders/ancestors, one should feel remorse, bow, and reform conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named in this verse; the narrative is moving toward a celebrated tīrtha mentioned in the following verses.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Reverence to the Pitṛs is implied through bowing; explicit tarpaṇa and observances appear in subsequent verses.