Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

कथितं ज्ञानिना तेन मम पूर्वं महात्म ना । षङ्भिर्मासैः सुतस्तेऽयं देहत्यागं करिष्यति

Transliteration

kathitaṃ jñāninā tena mama pūrvaṃ mahātma nā | ṣaṅbhirmāsaiḥ sutaste'yaṃ dehatyāgaṃ kariṣyati

Translation

ก่อนหน้านี้ มหาตมาผู้รู้แจ้งนั้นได้บอกข้าพเจ้าว่า: ‘ภายในหกเดือน บุตรของเจ้าผู้นี้จักละทิ้งกาย’

Word by Word

• कथितम्: was told
• कथितम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु) → कथित (क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle) ‘told’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि भाव

• ज्ञानिना: by the wise man
• ज्ञानिना: Karana/Agent (Instrumental agent/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञानिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन

• तेन: by him
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन

• मम: to me/of me
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (Genitive/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• पूर्वम्: formerly/beforehand
• पूर्वम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Temporal modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाव)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• महात्मना: by the great-souled one
• महात्मना: Karana/Agent (Instrumental agent/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: महान् आत्मा यस्य/महान् आत्मा (कर्मधारय-प्रातिपदिक); पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन

• षङ्भिः: with six
• षङ्भिः: Karana (Measure/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षष् (संख्यावाचक-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; तृतीया (Instrumental/करण), बहुवचन

• मासैः: months
• मासैः: Karana (Measure/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/करण), बहुवचन

• सुतः: son
• सुतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/कर्ता), एकवचन

• ते: your
• ते: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (Genitive/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• अयम्: this (one)
• अयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/कर्ता), एकवचन

• देहत्यागम्: abandoning the body/death
• देहत्यागम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह + त्याग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: देहस्य त्यागः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन

• करिष्यति: will do/will undergo
• करिष्यति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Mṛkaṇḍa

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A remembered scene: a realized great soul tells the father that within six months the brāhmaṇī’s son will abandon the body.

Characters & Entities

• Mṛkaṇḍa
• jñānin (wise one)
• mahātmā (great soul)
• six months (ṣaḍmāsa)
• deha-tyāga (death)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Awareness of mortality is framed as foreknown through sages, prompting urgency for dharmic action and spiritual refuge.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No new site is named; the prophecy occurs within the Agnitīrtha-associated narrative context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None stated; it sets the cause for the parents’ intended act in the following verses.