Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

अकालेऽपि कुमारस्य किंचिद्ध्यात्वा निजे हृदि । कारणं कारणज्ञः स ततः प्रोवाच तं सुतम्

Transliteration

akāle'pi kumārasya kiṃciddhyātvā nije hṛdi | kāraṇaṃ kāraṇajñaḥ sa tataḥ provāca taṃ sutam

Translation

แม้จะยังไม่ถึงกาลอันควร เขาก็ใคร่ครวญเล็กน้อยในดวงใจ ครั้นรู้เหตุปัจจัยแล้ว จึงกล่าวแก่บุตรของตน

Word by Word

• अकाले: at an untimely time
• अकाले: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अकाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; पुंलिङ्ग

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha/Emphasis (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि-कार (even/also)

• कुमारस्य: of the boy
• कुमारस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुमार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; पुंलिङ्ग

• किंचित्: a little, somewhat
• किंचित्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किंचित् (सर्वनाम-अव्यय/अनिश्चित-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/अल्पता-बोधक (a little/something)

• ध्यात्वा: having reflected
• ध्यात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ध्यै (धातु) + क्त्वा (अव्यय-कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive); पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया

• निजे: in (his) own
• निजे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; हृदि इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• हृदि: in the heart
• हृदि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृद्/हृदय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नपुंसकलिङ्ग

• कारणम्: the reason
• कारणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नपुंसकलिङ्ग

• कारणज्ञः: knowing the cause
• कारणज्ञः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कारण + ज्ञ (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; पुंलिङ्ग; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (कारणं जानाति इति)

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

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Temporal/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रम/काल-वाचक

• प्रोवाच: said, spoke
• प्रोवाच: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) + प्र- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तम्: to him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; पुंलिङ्ग

• सुतम्: (his) son
• सुतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; पुंलिङ्ग; तं इति विशेषण-सम्बन्ध (apposition)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; verse reports Mṛkaṇḍu’s reflection)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mṛkaṇḍu, troubled by the prophecy, sits in contemplation, then turns to address his son with purposeful clarity.

Characters & Entities

• Mṛkaṇḍu
• son (kumāra/suta)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Wisdom reads circumstances and acts decisively; dharma is applied with insight into causes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified in this verse; it is narrative development within a Māhātmya chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied urgency around saṃskāra timing; no explicit rite is prescribed in this specific line.