Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

यम उवाच । पञ्चवर्षसहस्राणि तस्यातीतानि चायुषः । तिष्ठंति पञ्चपञ्चाशत्प्रतीक्ष्येऽहं ततः कथम्

Transliteration

yama uvāca | pañcavarṣasahasrāṇi tasyātītāni cāyuṣaḥ | tiṣṭhaṃti pañcapañcāśatpratīkṣye'haṃ tataḥ katham

Translation

พระยมตรัสว่า: “อายุของเขาล่วงไปแล้วห้าพันปี ยังเหลืออีกห้าสิบห้าปี แล้วเราจะรอคอยต่อไปได้อย่างไร?”

Word by Word

• यमः: Yama
• यमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पञ्च: five
• पञ्च: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-विशेषण; (समासपूर्वपदत्वेन) अव्ययवत् प्रयोग

• वर्ष: years
• वर्ष: Samasa-anga (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; (समासपूर्वपदत्वेन) प्रातिपदिकरूपेण

• सहस्राणि: thousands
• सहस्राणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), बहुवचन

• पञ्चवर्षसहस्राणि: five-year-thousands (i.e., many thousands of five-year periods)
• पञ्चवर्षसहस्राणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च + वर्ष + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थः (पञ्चवर्षाणां सहस्राणि = thousands of five-year periods)

• तस्य: of him/that
• तस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• अतीतानि: passed, elapsed
• अतीतानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति + इ (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

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

• आयुषः: of lifespan
• आयुषः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• तिष्ठन्ति: remain, stand
• तिष्ठन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• पञ्चपञ्चाशत्: fifty-five
• पञ्चपञ्चाशत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च + पञ्चाशत् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; (समासरूपेण) पञ्च + पञ्चाशत् = 55; अव्ययवत् प्रयोग

• प्रतीक्ष्ये: I wait
• प्रतीक्ष्ये: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति + ईक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

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

• ततः: thereafter, then
• ततः: Adverbial (Kriya-visheshana/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-प्रातिपदिकात्)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादान/क्रम-निर्देशक (from that/thereafter)

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Adverbial (Kriya-visheshana/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

Speaker

Yama

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yama, stern and regal, speaks with urgency, counting the king’s elapsed years and the remaining span, conveying impatience at delay in the king’s destined end.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Ajāpāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even cosmic law (Yama) operates by precise accounting of lifespan and karmic timing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this particular verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative statement about remaining years of life.