Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

शिशुं पुत्रं समादाय कन्यामेकां च शोभनाम् । ततोऽहं भार्यया प्रोक्तो वानप्रस्थाश्रमे स्थितः

Transliteration

śiśuṃ putraṃ samādāya kanyāmekāṃ ca śobhanām | tato'haṃ bhāryayā prokto vānaprasthāśrame sthitaḥ

Translation

ข้าพเจ้าพาบุตรชายทารกไปด้วย และพาบุตรสาวผู้เลอโฉมไปพร้อมกัน ครั้นแล้วภรรยาของข้าพเจ้ากล่าวแก่ข้าพเจ้า และข้าพเจ้าก็ดำรงอยู่ในอาศรมวานปรัสถะ (วานप्रस्थ)

Word by Word

• शिशुम्: infant, baby
• शिशुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिशु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• पुत्रम्: son
• पुत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• समादाय: having taken
• समादाय: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial to main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; ‘having taken’

• कन्याम्: girl, daughter
• कन्याम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• एकाम्: one
• एकाम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (कन्याम्)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• शोभनाम्: beautiful, splendid
• शोभनाम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शोभन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (कन्याम्)

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Kāla/Anantara (Then)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भार्यया: by (my) wife
• भार्यया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• प्रोक्तः: was told, was addressed
• प्रोक्तः: Karmaṇi-prayoga predicate (Passive predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-उच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘spoken/told’

• वानप्रस्थाश्रमे: in the vānaprastha-āśrama (forest-dweller stage)
• वानप्रस्थाश्रमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वानप्रस्थ-आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक; वानप्रस्थ + आश्रम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• स्थितः: situated, staying
• स्थितः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicative to subject)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘standing/being situated’

Speaker

Unspecified first-person narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A couple with two small children at the edge of a forest-hermitage setting; the husband poised for vānaprastha, the wife speaking with urgency and devotion, travel bundles and simple ascetic items visible.

Characters & Entities

• vānaprastha-āśrama
• bhāryā (wife)
• putra (son)
• kanyā (daughter)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It frames renunciation within āśrama-dharma: spiritual progress can occur through an ordered life-stage (vānaprastha), not only abrupt abandonment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated; the prescription is the dharmic mode of life—vānaprastha-āśrama.