Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 87

Devanagari script

तस्मान्नानृतमात्मानं करिष्ये जीविताशया । आज्ञापयतु मामार्या यास्ये यत्र मृगाधिपः

Transliteration

tasmānnānṛtamātmānaṃ kariṣye jīvitāśayā | ājñāpayatu māmāryā yāsye yatra mṛgādhipaḥ

Translation

เพราะฉะนั้น แม้ยังมีความหวังในชีวิต ข้าก็จะไม่ทำตนให้เป็นผู้กล่าวเท็จ ขอท่านสตรีผู้ประเสริฐโปรดมีบัญชา—ข้าจะไปยังที่ซึ่งจ้าวแห่งสัตว์ป่า (พยัคฆ์) อยู่

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore/from that
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation)

• अनृतम्: untruth
• अनृतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• आत्मानम्: myself
• आत्मानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• करिष्ये: I shall make/do
• करिष्ये: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• जीविताशया: with hope of life
• जीविताशया: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जीवित + आशा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; हेतौ/साधने (with the hope of life)

• आज्ञापयतु: let (her) command
• आज्ञापयतु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-ज्ञा + णिच् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• आर्या: the noble lady
• आर्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• यास्ये: I shall go
• यास्ये: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Desha (Location/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• मृगाधिपः: the lord of beasts (lion)
• मृगाधिपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग + अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Kapilā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (frame) / Arbuda-pradeśa (sectional locus)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Kapilā’s companions / noble lady addressed as ‘āryā’

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kapilā, resolute and calm, declares she will not speak untruth even to save her life, and prepares to go toward the tiger’s lair; companions watch in anxious reverence.

Characters & Entities

• Kapilā
• Tiger (mṛgādhipa/vyāghra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Satya is treated as a supreme vow—kept even when self-preservation argues otherwise.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Arbuda setting remains implicit; the verse spotlights dharma (satya) rather than describing a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a resolve to uphold truth and proceed to face the tiger.